Friends Reunited
by FoRgEtReGrEt525
Summary: Sequel to "The Days of Kindergarten." The six friends are in sixth grade now! Much drama can happen with eleven year old sixth graders! Find out what all the gossip, drama, and NEW friends are in sixth grade. COMPLETE.
1. Friends Reunited

**A/N: Hey everyone! I know you guys loved "The Days of Kindergarten," so I decided to make a sequel of them in sixth grade! And so I proudly present to you... "Friend's Reunited!"

* * *

**

Usagi Tsukino sat in her room packing her big backpack with notebooks, text books, novels, pens, pencils and her trusty binder. Usagi was now eleven years old, and she was going to the big sixth grade. Her hair was now down to her elbows in a 'meatball' hair style. For as long as Usagi could remember, she has always had her hair like that. Usagi smiled to herself. She felt a spark of excitement when she thought about seeing all of her friends--- and especially Mamoru. Usagi had five good friends: Naru Osaka, Ami Mizuno, Makoto Kino, Minako Aino, and Rei Hino. They were all good friends with Usagi, and she loved them all.

"Usagi, honey! The bus is here to get you!" Mrs. Tsukino cried.

"OK, Mama!" Usagi said.

And with that, Usagi flung her heavy backpack over her shoulders, ran downstairs, and headed for school. Usagi couldn't wait to see all her friends again. She was going to love middle school.

* * *

Usagi stepped into the school yard and saw all all the children outside. Her eyes scanned the yard to see if any of her friends were here. And someone was here. It was Ami.

"AMI-CHAN!" Usagi cried.

Ami beamed at Usagi. "Usagi-chan!"

Usagi ran over to Ami and pulled Ami into a huge hug. "Ah, the early bird! I knew you would be the first one here! I missed you so much, Ami-chan."

"I missed you too! How have you been?" Ami asked.

Usagi smiled. "Good, good! And you? How's your family?"

"My family's fine, thank you. I'm good too." Ami smiled.

"That's good," Usagi said. "Is anyone else here?"

"Uh... no, not yet," Ami said.

Usagi pouted. "I hope they all come soon."

It was almost as if those words were magic. As soon as she said that, Minako came prancing in the school yard.

"Ami look! It's Minako-chan!" Usagi cried. "MINAKO-CHAN! OVER HERE!" she said as she waved her arms madly.

As soon as Minako saw that it was Usagi, she ran as fast as she could over to her and Ami.

"OHMYGODIT'SBEENFOREVERSINCEI'VESEENYOUGUYSIMISSEDYOUSOMUCHI'MSOEXCITEDTOFINALLYSTARTMIDDLESCHOOLWE'REFINALLYHEREICAN'TBELIEVEIT!" Minako gasped for breath after she said that all in one sentence.

Usagi laughed. "Calm down, Minako-chan! We missed you too!"

"Yeah, take it easy!" Ami giggled.

Minako grinned. "I couldn't hepl it! I just missed you guys so much!" she said as she pulled both of them into a hug.

"Hey, you're giving them hugs, but not me?" came a voice.

Minako turned around. It was Rei.

"AH! REI-CHAN!" Minako exclaimed.

Rei smiled. "Hey!"

Minako pulled her into a big hug. "Rei-chan! Do you ever pick up your phone? I tried calling you like, fifty times this summer!"

"Oh I'm sorry. I forgot that I have to have 'Minako time,'" Rei said sarcastically.

Minako pouted. "That's not funny, Rei-chan."

"Anyway," Rei smiled. "Hey _Odango." _

Usagi crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I don't like when you call me that!"

"Sorry," Rei said. "Hey meatball head."

Usagi furrowed her eyebrows. "REI-CHAN!"

Rei laughed. "That never gets old."

"Yes it does!" Usagi complained.

"Hey Ami-chan," Rei smiled. "Sorry it took me so long to sat 'hi' because _Odango_ was complaining."

"I... It's OK, Rei-chan," Ami said.

"Guys! Naru-chan and Mako-chan are here!" Usagi cried.

Makoto and Naru both walked in the school yard talking with each other. As soon as they looked up, they saw Usagi waving her arms.

"Well, we know Usagi's happy," Makoto said.

Naru laughed. "What makes you say that?"

Makoto chuckled. "Come on, let's go see 'em."

Naru nodded. "Yep!"

"Naru-chan! Mako-chan!" Usagi cried.

"Hey!" Makoto said.

"Hi guys!" Naru smiled.

"Yay! We're all here!" Mianko cheered.

"I can't wait to see what middle school is gonna be like," Ami said.

"Me too," Naru said.

"I wonder what our teachers are gonna be like..." Usagi said.

"C'mon guys. Let's have a good middle school year," Rei smiled.

Makoto nodded. "Right. Let's make some memories that we won't forget!"

"Yeah!" Minako cried. "Let's have a fun year!"

It was eight twenty- five when the bell rang for them to go inside. The six friends walked in the school with excitement, fear, and happiness. They had no idea what was in store for them in their middle school year.

**A/N: YAY! I hope you liked the first chappie! I'm soooo happy to be writing this! Sorry if this chapter went a little slow... It's kinda hard at the first chapter because you have to get all the friends back together again and all that stuff. And OMG! I'm gonna add MORE characters later on in the chapters! Guess who?! Haha! But anyway, I look foward to your reviews and I hope you like it!**

**Much love,**

**FoRgEtReGrEt525**


	2. Welcome to Middle School

**A/N: Yay! The next chapter! Here's the next chapter for ya!

* * *

**

The six friends walked up to their homeroom classroom. They all talked a bit until the teacher came in the classroom.

"All right take your seats!" she cried.

All the students ran over to their seats. Usagi could tell she wasn't a very happy teacher.

"Listen up. My name is Mrs. Tenohamu, and I'm your homeroom and science teacher," she said.

"Mrs.?! She's _married? _Who would wanna marry _that _old hag?!" Minako whispered to Rei.

Rei, who was sitting next to her, clasped her hand over her mouth from laughing.

Mrs. Tenohamu whirled around and faced Minako.

"Were you talking?!" she cried.

"Uh... no! N--- no...!" Minako managed to get out.

"I know you were! Who were you talking to?!" Mrs. Tenohamu said as she walked over to Minako.

"I--- I was---"

"You don't want a detention on the first day of school, do you?"

"N... no...!"

"Then don't talk!!" Mrs. Tenohamu cried.

"Mrs. Tenohamu... Minako wasn't talking, I was," Rei blurted out.

Mrs. Tenohamu looked over at Rei, then at Minako. "Is it true? Was Miss Hino the one talking?"

Minako bit her lip. "Uh... y... yeah... I guess..."

"You _guess?" _Mrs. Tenohamu said as her eyebrow rose.

"I mean... uh... yes..." Minako gulped.

"Very well then..." she said. "Don't do it again, Miss Hino."

Rei nodded. "R... right."

Mrs. Tenohamu walked back to her chair.

"R... Rei-chan?! Why did you do that?" Minako hissed.

'It doesn't matter. I won't do it again, anyway. And stop talking before you get in trouble again...!" Rei said.

Minako sighed._ "Welcome back to school," _she thought.

* * *

"That rotten old hag!" Minako cried. "What the hell is her problem?!"

"I know. She's a witch... I don't know how she got a career in teaching," Makoto said.

Usagi chuckled. "I'll say... Imagine me forgetting my homework! She'll probably tear my head off!"

"I know! We better be careful, Usagi-chan!" Minako said. "And I still can't get over you doing that, Rei-chan!"

Rei rolled her eyes. "I told you, it was just a one time thing... it won't happen again. You looked like a deer in headlights! I thought you were going to faint."

"No! I was fine until you came in...!" Minako said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Rei snorted. "Yeah, right."

"Rei-chan!" Minako pouted.

"Alright, let's just forget about this," Rei said.

Minako sighed. "Fine... But I know that she's gonna death glare me until I cry. I can already tell that she hates me."

"Don't worry about it, Mina-chan," Usagi smiled.

Naru nodded. "She has anger issues."

"Yeah, she's a witch," Ami said.

The five friends stared at Ami with wide eyes.

"Ami-chan is..." Minako began.

"... Saying something rude!" Usagi finished.

"Do you want me to take your temperature?" Naru said.

Ami blushed. "I know... I won't say anything like that again, though..."

* * *

It was finally lunch. The six friends all sat together at a table eating.

"Hey guys! I saw Mamoru in home room today. I didn't get a chance to talk with him, though..." Usagi said.

"I saw Motoki-kun too. He's cute, isn't he?" Minako asked.

Makoto quickly looked over at Minako. The whole table went silent. Minako, who was oblivious, happily ate her sandwich.

"What did you say?" Makoto asked.

Minako looked at Makoto. "What?"

"You do know... right? You should," Makoto said.

"What? Know what?" Minako said with a puzzled face.

"Don't tell me you don't know, you bonehead!" Rei hissed.

"WHAT?! What?! Know _what?!" _

"It's been pretty obvious ever since Kindergarten," Ami said.

"Yeah, even Usagi knows," Rei said.

"Yea--- HEY!" Usagi cried.

"OK, I'm missing something," Minako said. "Can't someone just tell me what I'm missing?!"

"Makoto has a crush on Motoki!" Rei cried.

"REI!" Makoto blushed.

"What? It's true! Minako didn't even know for some reason," Rei said.

"Wait... didn't you know, Minako-chan?" Naru asked.

Minako blinked. "No, I didn't."

"But what about that time in Kindergarten when Makoto wanted to give that card to Motoki-kun so you gave Makoto advice? You knew then," Naru said.

"Naru-chan has a point. You already knew," Rei said.

"I must've forgot for some reason. C'mon guys, you're making a big deal out of nothing! All I said was that he was cute. It doen't really mean anything!" Minako said.

Makoto looked at the ground. "That'll change..." she mumbled.

"What?" Minako asked.

"Nothing," Makoto quickly answered. She gulped. Once Minako has her eyes on a boy, she doesn't take them off. She may say that it's nothing, but that may turn into _something_. Was Minako lying when she said that she _forgot? _Or was it the truth? Makoto could never tell with Minako. Makoto just hoped that she'll forget about Motoki and get her eyes on another boy. But who knows with Minako. That's what Makoto was afraid of. You never know what will happen with Minako.

**A/N: Yay! I hope you liked this chappie :**


	3. Misery Business

**A/N: Yay! chapter three! Enjoy :)

* * *

**

The next day, Usagi came into the school yard. None of her friends were here yet, so she waited. As she was waiting, she finally saw Mamoru. Usagi's cheeks turned bright red.

_"Oh God, he's here...! What'll I do? What'll I do?" _Usagi thought.

_"Odango?" _said a voice.

Usagi turned around. It was the one and only... Mamoru.

Usagi's cheeks turned red again. "H... hey...!"

Mamoru smiled. "Hi."

"D... do you like middle school?" Usagi asked. _"Oh, nice question, Usagi! Baka-ne!"_ she thought.

Mamoru nodded slowly. "Yeah... it's cool. I just don't like Mrs. Tenohamu."

"Me either! She's so mean," Usagi said.

"Hey! Mamoru!" cried a voice. It was Motoki.

"Hey Motoki," Mamoru said.

"Hi!" Motoki looked at Usagi. "Hey,Usagi!"

Usagi smiled. "Hi Motoki!"

"So uh... listen," Motoki said to Usagi. "H... have you seen... Makoto?"

Usagi grinned. "Of course!"

"How is she?" he asked.

"Awh! Motoki's worried about his lover!" Usagi laughed.

Motoki turned bright red. "N... no! Usagi! Stop!"

"OK, sorry, sorry! She's fine," Usagi said.

"That's good," Motoki smiled.

"Well, we better get going," Mamoru said. "See ya, _Odango!"_

"B... bye!" Usagi waved.

"That's so adorable!" said a voice. Usagi whirled around. There she saw a beaming Minako staring at her.

"M... Minako-chan!" Usagi said.

Minako grinned. "You are so in love!"

"Shut up, Mina-chan!" Usagi snapped. "I'm only eleven years old! I'm not sixteen!"

"So?" Minako said. "I remember I had my first crush in second grade."

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Minako chuckled. "Remember in Kindergarten when you were his 'girlfriend?'"

Usagi laughed. "Yeah, I remember."

Minutes passed and soon Makoto came in the school yard.

"Hey Mako-chan!" Usagi waved.

Makoto smiled. "Hi!"

"Hi Mako-chan," Minako smiled.

"H... hi," Makoto looked at the ground.

Minako cocked her eyebrow. "Are you OK?"

Makoto nodded. "Mmhm..."

Minako glanced over at Usagi, who just shrugged. Minako sighed dramatically. _"What's wrong with Makoto now?" _she thought.

* * *

_MINAKO'S POV_

"Alright, open your science text books to page twenty-one!" Mrs. Tenohamu cried.

I rolled my eyes. Ah, how I hated Mrs. Tenohamu.

"In this chapter, you are going to learn about faults. Who can tell me what a fault is?" Mrs. Tenohamu asked.

Ami's hand shot up in the air.

"Miss Mizuno?"

"A fault is a break in Earth's crust," Ami said.

Mrs. Tenohamu nodded. "Very good, Miss Mizuno."

I sighed. _"How does Ami do it?" _I thought. _"Can it be that she has an IQ of 300? who knows with her. And what about Makoto? What's up with her? Maybe she's still a little pissed about what I said yesterday about Motoki. But it doesn't mean anything! She can be such a---" _My thoughts were inturrupted when Mrs. Tenohamu called on me.

"Miss Aino! can you tell me what a divergent boundary is?" Mrs. Tenohamu asked.

"Uh..." I flipped the pages in my text book. "It means... when two plates collide and form mountains?"

Mrs. Tenohamu shook her head. "No. Not at all."

My eyes shifted nervously.

"Miss Kino! Can you tell me what a divergent boundary is?" Mrs. Tenohamu said.

Makoto cleared her throat. "Uh... it's when two plates separate and form a rift valley."

"Right," she replied condescendingly. "Maybe next time you can remember that, Miss Aino."

I sank in my chair.

"Speaking of remembering, you will have a test on this section on Thursday," Mrs. Tenohamu said.

I rolled my eyes once again. _"It's only the first week of school, and she's giving us a test!" _I thought. I felt like screaming: "Hey old hag! I'd like to see you take this test! And yes, I would love to see your misery when you fail it!" I sighed. Ah, how I hated Mrs. Tenohamu.

_RIIIIIING!_

_"Thank you almighty Aphrodite that the bell rang!" _I thought. I glanced over at Makoto, who just looked away. I pouted_. "What a wonderful morning."

* * *

_

_MAKOTO'S POV_

I sighed and rested my elbow on my desk and placed my chin on my hand. I was so bored. Really bored. _Very_ bored. I was supposed to be listening to what Mrs. Tenohamu was blabbing about, but instead I was contemplating what went on yesterday. _Minako said she thought Motoki was cute, and she says it's nothing. What the hell does that mean? Ugh, I don't know... I don't get Minako. Speaking of Minako, Mrs. Tenohamu just called on her, and she doesn't know the answer! Ha! Oh God, don't call on me, Mrs. Tenohamu! No!_

"Miss Kino! Can you tell me what a divergent boundary is?" Mrs. Tenohamu asked.

_"Oh, God...!" _I thought. "Uh... it means when two plates separate and form a rift valley."

"Right," she replied condescendingly. "Maybe next time you can remember that, Miss Aino."

I smirked when I saw Minako sink in her chair. _Ha! Serves her right! Oh, no... we have a section test already?! Ugh..._

_RIIIIIING!_

_"Yes!" _I thought. All of a sudden I saw Minako look at me. Quick! Look away, Makoto! Good. Thank God lunch is next period.

* * *

"Yay! Lunch!" Usagi smiled.

"Ugh, thank God, I thought I was going to die if I spent one more second with Mrs. Tenohamu!" Minako exclaimed. She glanced over at Makoto. "Mako-chan?" she asked.

"Mmhm?" Makoto said without looking at Minako.

"You haven't talked to me all day... are you OK?"

"Mmhm," Makoto simply said.

Minako furrowed her eyebrows. "Makoto! What's your problem?!"

"You knew that I liked Motoki! You knew all along! You lied and said that you forgot!" Makoto cried.

"No! I'm telling the truth! What makes you think that I'm lying?!" Minako cried.

"Because it's so obvious that I like him! What makes _you _think that I _don't_ like him?!" Makoto said as her fists clenched with anger.

Minako fell silent.

"Just don't even bother with me, Minako," Makoto said.

"Well, I know I won't have a problem with that!" Minako cried.

"C'mon Makoto and Minako! Don't you think that this is a little stupid? It's about a _boy!" _Rei said.

Minako glared at Rei. "Stay out of this, Rei. It doen't concern you."

Rei furrowed her eyebrows.

"Oh, boy..." Naru said.

"Everyone, please!" Ami begged. "Stop fighting!"

"Don't tell me that this doesn't concern me, Minako!"

"I'm not talking to you, Makoto!"

"See if I care!"

"Please, Stop!"

"C'mon, Minako and Makoto!"

"STOP!"

The five friends looked over at Usagi, who had screamed.

_"_What?!" Minako hissed.

_"What? _That's what you say? Do you know what you guys are doing?! You're screaming your heads off to each other! Do you really want a friendship to end because of a boy, Minako and Makoto?" Usagi said.

Minako gulped and Makoto looked at the ground.

"It's the first week of school... we told each other that we're going to have a great school year. And this is how it begins. With a fight. And to top it off, it's about a freakin' _boy!" _Usagi cried.

Minako nervously twirled her hair and Makoto fiddled with her fingers.

Usagi furrowed her eyebrows. "You guys_ suck."_

And with that, she left the cafeteria.

Rei was the first to speak up. "Usagi's right... we're idiots... why are we fighting?"

"It's not any of your fault," Minako began. "...It's mine."

"And mine..." Makoto said.

Minako chuckled. "We're nothing but a bunch of boy crazy boneheads, aren't we, Mako-chan?"

Makoto smiled. "Yeah... I'm really sorry, Minako."

Minako shook her head. "No, don't be. It was all my fault. I should've known that you like Motoki... I'm sorry."

Makoto sighed. "I guess we should apologize to Usagi."

Minako nodded. "Right," she began to stand up. "And Mako-chan?"

"Y... yeah?"

"You and Motoki are really cute together. Build up that relationship!" Minako winked.

Makoto blushed. "R... right."

* * *

Minako and Makoto found Usagi walking around the school yard. They both ran up to her.

"Usagi-chan?" Makoto asked.

Usagi looked over at them. "Y... yeah?"

"We're sorry... we're just a couple of idiots," Minako said.

"No, it's OK. I was... out of line... I was too dramatic about it," Usagi said.

"No you weren't!" Makoto began. "It was a very stupid reason why we got into a fight."

Minako nodded. "Right. We're really sorry, Usagi-chan..."

Usagi grinned. "So who got Motoki?"

Minako and Makoto blushed.

"Usagi...!" Makoto said. "Don't...!"

Usagi began to laugh. "Sorry, sorry!"

Minako grinned. "Yep! Makoto's a lucky girl."

Usagi clasped her hand over her mouth. "You got Motoki?! I'm so happy for you!"

Makoto blushed. "Y... yeah, thanks."

"Nice try, Minako-chan," Usagi winked.

Minako giggled. "Thanks. But... Mako-chan and Motoki-kun were _destined _to be together."

Makoto blushed even harder.

Usagi sighed. "Well, let's just put this behind us... OK?"

Minako and Makoto both nodded.

Usagi smiled. "C'mon, let's go. We have a whole middle school year ahead of us."


	4. Misunderstandings

**A/N: Thanks for all of your reviews! Here's the next chappie for ya!

* * *

**

"Alright! Take your seats!" Mrs. Tenohamu cried.

"Ugh, what's with that crabbie old hag today?" Minako asked.

Usagi chuckled. "Who knows. Maybe she finally looked on the mirror!"

Minako clasped her hand over her mouth. "Don't make me laugh...!"

"Stop talking and listen to what I'm saying!" Mrs. Tenohamu yelled.

"Sorry Sensei," Minako and Usagi said.

"Without further interruptions," Mrs. Tenuhamu said as she glared at Minako and Usagi. "We have two new students today. Come on in."

The two students came in the classroom. One had long, aqua hair, and one had short, dirty blonde hair.

"Class, this is Michiru Kaiou and Haruka Tenou. Please make them comfortible here in our school," Mrs. Tenohamu said.

"Oh... my... God..." Minako said to Usagi. "Tenou-san is adorable!"

"Yeah..." Usagi nodded. "Hey! You might have a chance, Minako-chan!"

Minako grinned. "You're right! I'm Aino Minako, and I will get Tenou-san no matter what! Nothing will get in my way!"

"And I'll help you!" Usagi said.

"Great! 'Ya know what they say: "Two friends are better than one!"

Usagi shook her head. "Mina-chan, you mean: "Two_ heads_ arebetterthan one."

"Oh, right!" Minako giggled.

"Michiru, you may sit next to Miss Mizuno. And Haruka you can sit next to... Miss Aino," Mrs. Tenohamu said.

_"YES!" _Minako thought_. "Now's my chance...!"_ She cleared her throat. "Hi! My name's Aino Minako."

Haruka smiled. "Tenou Haruka. Nice to meet you."

Minako grinned. "You too."

* * *

"AH! Tenou-san is so nice!" Minako screamed as the five friends sat at the lunch table listening.

"Really? What's he like?" Rei asked.

"What's he like? Well, he's smart, charming, and handsome! Just the guy I like!" Minako giggled.

"Wow, you sure are lucky, Mina-chan!" Makoto said.

Minako grinned. "I know! Once we both start talking to each other more often, we'll be together in no time!"

Rei rolled her eyes. "Mina-chan, I hate to burst your bubble but... you're only is sixth grade. You can't really be 'going out' with someone yet."

Minako snorted. "Oh, please, Rei-chan! I'm not going to be going out with him! We'll just be like... Usagi and Mamoru."

Usagi nodded. "Right! And I'm gonna help Mina-chan get Tenou-san!"

Ami cocked an eyebrow. "Usagi-chan... how are you going to help Mina-chan?"

"That's easy!" Usagi said triumphantly. "I'll uh... um---"

"We'll work it out," Minako interrupted.

"Well, enough about that," Naru began. "Ami-chan, you sat next to Kaiou-san. Is she nice?"

"Yeah! She's very smart too. We have a lot in common. Like we both love science class, we love to read, and we both love to swim! It's like she's the sister I never had!" Ami smiled.

The five friends started at her in awe.

"Wow, Ami-chan. Looks like you met a new friend," Makoto said.

Ami blushed. "I'm sorry... I got carried away."

Minako looked at her watch. "Well, toodles!"

"Where are you going?" Naru asked.

"I'm going to meet Haruka outside! Ja-ne!" she grabbed Usagi's wrist. "C'mon, Usagi!"

Usagi waved. "Bye!"

And with that, they ran outside in search of Haruka.

Rei rubbed her temples. "They're both idiots."

* * *

Usagi and Minako bolted outside to find Haruka. Soon, they found him.

"There he is..." Minako said. "C'mon!"

"Wait!" Usagi grabbed Minako's wrist. "What if I don't say the right thing to him?"

Minako playfully rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly! Just go with the flow!"

Usagi's eyes shifted. "O... OK."

They both approched Haruka. Minako tapped him on the shoulder. "Hi! I'm Minako, remember me?"

Haruka smiled. "Yeah. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much. I brought my friend Usagi. Usagi, this is Haruka, Haruka, this is Tsukino Usagi," Minako said.

"Nice to meet you!" Usagi said happily.

Haruka smiled. "Nice to meet you, Usagi."

"So you're meeting new friends, Haruka?" came a voice. Usagi and Minako turned around to find an aqua-haired girl. It was Michiru.

_"Drats! What is she doing here?!"_ Minako thought.

"Hey, Michiru," Haruka said.

"Yes, it was very nice to meet you Micharu," Minako said as she began to push Michiru away.

"It's _Michiru. _And let her Stay, Mina-chan," Usagi said.

Minako pouted. "...Fine."

"So," Usagi began. "Do you guys know each other?"

Michiru nodded. "Yes. We both met at the school before we came here. And we both decided to come here together."

"Oh! That's nice! You guys must be really close then. I mean to go to a different school together is pretty... cool!" Usagi smiled.

Michiru smiled. "Thank you."

Minako crossed her arms in front of her chest._ "Ugh...! Why does she have to be here? Right when I have Haruka to myself, she comes waddleing in! I won't allow it! Not on my watch!" _

"Michiru," Minako began. "Do you have something _else_ to do? I mean, it's better than hanging around with us in this hot weather. Why dont you go _inside_ where it's cooler?"

Michiru raised an eyebrow. "E... excuse me...?"

Usagi elbowed Minako in the stomach. "She's just kidding! Right, Minako-chan?"

Minako grunted.

Usagi nervously laughed. "Minako is such a joker! She has the funniest jokes!"

"I see..." Michiru said.

Soon the bell rang and it was time for everyone to go inside. But Minako still didn''t stop with Haruka...

"Mina-chan! We can't just be _stalking_ Haruka!" Usagi cried.

"So? It's not like he's noticing, anyway. Besides, I don't know about that Michiru girl. She might be hitting on Haruka!" Minako cried. "Ah! Michiru's going to the girl's bathroom. Wait... so is Haruka... Dang, they go _everywhere_ together! I guess Haruka doesn't even care if a teacher spots him in the girl's bathroom! C'mon, let's see the adventure!"

Usagi and Minako ran in the girl's bathroom and saw Haruka and Michiru.

"This is strange... none of the other girls are reacting to Haruka's sudden appearance," Minako said to Usagi.

"Yeah... that's weird," Usagi said.

"C'mon! Let's go in!" Minako said.

Usagi nodded. "OK!"

"Haruka?" Minako asked.

"You guys again? What do you need?" Haruka asked.

"Well... you're in the girl's bathroom..." Minako said.

Haruka blinked. "Yeah...?"

"The _girl's_ bathroom. You're not a girl!" Usagi said.

_"What?" _Haruka asked.

"What do you mean _what? _You're a boy. You're not allowed in here," Minako said.

"What are you guys talking about?" Michiru asked. "Haruka's not a boy, she's a _girl!"_

Minako's eye began to twitch. "W... what? No, you're... a... boy..."

Haruka shook her head. "Nope. What? Don't tell me you thought I was a boy this whole time?"

Minako laughed nervously. "No, no! Are you kidding me? I would never think that! You must be crazy!"

"Yeah! We're not stupid!" Usagi said.

"O... OK," Haruka said.

"S... sorry to bother you! Toodles!" Minako said as she ran out of the bathroom.

"B... bye!" Usagi said as she ran after Minako.

Haruka blinked. "Strange girls..."

* * *

"Haruka's a _what?!"_ Rei screached.

"Yep. It's true. We saw it with our own eyes," Minako said.

"Wow... what a shocker," Makoto said.

Minako sniffled. "And to think I was actually going to have a boyfriend..."

Rei chuckled. "Oh well, Mina-chan. There's a lot of men in this world."

"You're right! 'Ya know what they say: "There are other people in the sea!"

"You mean: "There are other_ fishies _in the sea." Ami corrected.

"Right!" Minako said.

"Well, I've had enough excitement today," Usagi said.  
Minako nodded in agreement. "Same. I still can't believe Haruka's a girl! I'm still in shock..."

"Don't worry Mina-chan. Someone's out there for you!" Naru smiled.

"I know... but Haruka was just so cool!" Minako cried.

Rei grunted. "We're never gonna hear the end of this."

Minako pouted. "Now I can't look at Hruka the same way again..." she gasped. "Unless if I just pretend that Haruka's a boy! Then I can still have a chance!"

The five friends' eye's grew big. "EH?!"

**A/N: Haha! Funny chapter. Lemme know what you think! REVIEWS, REVIEWS, REVIEWS!**


	5. The Spelling Bee

**A/N: Heyy! Thanks for all the awesome reviews, guys! Keep cheering me on! Here's the next chappie!

* * *

**

"Eh? A spelling bee?" Ami asked.

Usagi nodded. "Yep! I saw a flyer for it when I was going to the bathroom. C'mon, Ami-chan, you'll be so good in a spelling bee!"

"Well..." Ami said.

"Ami-chan! You're the smartest girl in this school! You_ need _to enter it!" Minako insisted.

"I suppose so..." Ami contemplated. "Is it the whole school competing?"

"Uh... yeah. That's what the flyer said," Usagi said. "Anyone who wants to compete can."

Ami thought for a while. "Well... OK. I suppose it'll be fun."

"Yay!" Makoto cheered. "You'll do great!"

"Yeah, and winner gets a great prize!" Usagi said.

"What's the prize?" Ami asked.

"You get a no homework pass and a free dress down coupon!"

"Well, I probably won't use the no homework coupon, but... I like the dress down coupon!" Ami smiled.

"Man, I wish I could spell like Ami-chan so I can get a no homework coupon," Minako grinned.

"You couldn't enter a spelling bee to save your life, Mina-chan. You can barely spell 'dog,' Rei laughed.

Minako pouted. "Yes I can! D-O-G! Ha!"

Rei rose an eyebrow. "Spell pandemonium."

"Uh..." Minako cleared her throat. "P-A-N-D-E-M-I-N-I-U-M."

"Nope," Rei grinned.

"Mina-chan, it's spelled: P-A-N-D-E-M-O-N-I-U-M."

Minako blinked. "Yeah, I have no idea how to spell that."

* * *

"Take your seats, class!" Mrs. Tenohamu cried. "Listen up, there's going to be a spelling bee tomorrow. I need to write down the names of the students who are going to participate in it. Raise your hand if you want to enter." 

Ami's hand went up.

"Miss Mizuno? Anyone else?" Mrs. Tenohamu asked, nicer that usual.

Michiru's hand went up.

"Miss Kaiou? OK. I'm going to pass out a list of words that you will need to study." Mrs. Tenohamu said as she handed the papers to Michiru and Ami. "The spelling bee, like I said, will take place tomorrow in the cafeteria at ten o'clock. Any questions? Good."

_"Kaiou-san is participating too? I'm surprised. I might have a hard competition tomorrow,"_ Ami thought.

**The next day...**

"Ah! You're gonna do so great, Ami-chan!" Usagi exclaimed.

"Yeah, don't be nervous," Naru said.

"We'll be rooting for you!" Minako said.

"Miss Mizuno?" said a voice. Ami turned around and saw Michiru standing in front of her.

"Yes?" Ami asked.

Michiru brought her hand out for Ami to shake. "Good luck."

Ami smiled and shook her hand. "You too."

"Everyone, take your seats!" The principal cried.

"Good luck, Ami-chan!" Usagi said.

"Welcome to the anual school spelling bee. I thank you to all those who are participating in this special event. Mrs. Tenohamu will read the word, and you will say the word, spell the word, and say the word. Any questions? Great! Good luck to all of you. And now, without any interruptions, I present to you the anual spelling bee!" The principal exclaimed.

"OK, first word goes to Tora. The word is government," Mrs. Tenohamu said.

"Government," Tora said. "G-O-V-E-R-N-M-E-N-T, government."

Mrs. Tenohamu nodded. "Right. Next word goes to Ami. The word is jocular."

"Jocular. J-O-C-U-L-A-R, jocular," Ami said.

"Right," Mrs. Tenohamu said. "Next word goes to Michiru. Your word is murky."

"Murky. M-U-R-K-Y, murky," Michiru said.

"Good job," Mrs. Tenohamu said.

Minutes passed and soon it was down to three. Ami, Michiru, and a young fourth grader named Sakanko.

"OK, Sakanko, your word is derelict," Mrs. Tenohamu said.

"Derelict," Sakanko began. "D-E-R-E-L-I-K-T, derelict."

Mrs. Tenohamu shook her head. "No, it's a 'c,' not a 'k.'"

Everyone clapped for Sakanko for her participation.

"OK, we're down to two. The one who wins will get a dress down and no homework coupon. Are you girls ready? Good. I'm going to the harder words this time. If one of you spells the word that I give you wrong, it will go to the other person," Mrs. Tenohamu said. "OK, the first word goes to Ami, and it's multilingual."

"Multilingual. M-U-L-T-I-L-I-N-G-U-A-L, multilingual," Ami said.

"Right," Mrs. Tenohamu grinned teethily.

Ami smiled triumphantly.

"Michiru, this one's for you. Onomatopeia," Mrs. Tenohamu said.

Michiru's eyes shifted. "Onomatopeia. O-N-O-M-A-T-O-P-A-I-A, onomatopeia."

Mrs. Tenohamu shook her head. "I'm sorry, that's not how you spell it. Ami, can you spell it for us? Then you will win."

Ami nodded. "Onomatopeia. O-N-O-M-A-T-O-P-E-I-A, onomatopeia."

Mrs. Tenohamu nodded. "Wonderful! We have a winner. Congradulations, Miss Mizuno."

Ami was beaming. "Thank you!"

"Good job, Ami," Michiru smiled.

Ami smiled back. "Thank you."

"Here are your coupons," Mrs. Tenohamu said as she handed the coupons to Ami.

Ami bowed. "Thank you very much!"

* * *

"AMI-CHAN! YOU WERE AMAZING!" Usagi screamed.

"Thank you, Usagi-chan!" Ami smiled.

"Jeez, Ami-chan, I sure can't spell like you," Minako said.

"Neither could I," Naru said.

Ami blushed. "T... thank you."

Usagi pulled Ami into a hug. "Ah! You're so amazing, Ami-chan! Just one thing though..."

Ami blinked. "What?"

"Are you gonna use that no homework coupon?"

Ami laughed. "Well, I thought about it and... yes, I am. It's good to take a break of homework for a little bit."

Usagi pouted. "But you said that you weren't gonna use it!"

"Usagi-chan! Don't be such a brat!" Rei cried.

"I'm not being a brat, Rei-chan!" Usagi frowned.

"Don't force Ami-chan to do something she doesn't want to do!" Rei said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"You're so mean to me, Rei-chan!" Usagi cried.

Rei rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because I beat you up everyday, Usagi-chan," she said sarcastically.

"You beat me up with your harsh words!" Usagi said.

"GUYS! We're going off topic!" Makoto said.

"Oh, sorry Ami-chan," Rei said. "Usagi was being a baka again."

"Rei-chan!" Usagi pouted.

Rei laughed. "Sorry, sorry!"

Ami laughed. She had the best friends in the world, and she didn't want to change a thing.


	6. Realizations

**A/N: Yay! Next chapter! Hope you like! **

Rei sat in her room doing her homework on a table. She bit the tip of her pencil as she tried to figure out a math problem. She sighed.

"Drats! I can't get this. Ugh, there's really no one that can help me with this... I'll just try my best I guess..." she paused and looked down at the ground. "Grandpa's not doing too well... ever since he caught the flu, he hasn't been too healthy. I'm so scared..." she put her hand to her forehead and silently cried. She glanced over at a picture of her mom and her dad. "I... miss her... so much. But my dad doesn't give a flying crap about me. He's the one who just left me at this Temple... _Damn!" _Rei swore as she slammed her fist on the table. "Why...?" she asked as more tears came streming down her face. A few minutes later, Rei had finished her homework. She ran downstairs and went into the room where her Grandpa lay in bed. She gulped and went over to him.

"Grandpa...?" she asked in a shaky voice. "H... how are you feeling?"

Grandpa Hino looked up at her. "Ah, Rei, my child. I'm doing good. Better, actually."

Rei smiled weakly. "That's good. Do you need anything?"

He shook his head. "Just prayers, my child... prayers."

**The next day...**

"REI-CHAN!" Minako cried as she ran over to Rei.

Rei grunted.

Minako linked her arm in Rei's, ignoring how Rei would try to squrm her arm out of Minako's. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. C'mon! Today's another day where we can make fun of Mrs. Tenohamu!"

"No... I'm not in the mood," Rei said.

Minako pouted. "Oh please, _everyone's_ in the mood to make fun of Mrs. Tenohamu! Usagi and I do it all the time!"

"Well, I'm not today."

Minako cocked an eyebrow. "Are you OK?"

Rei nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"Oh, that's good! Because I brought in gum today so we can sneek some during lunch---"

"Minako, I'm just not in the mood!" Rei snapped as she finally escaped from Minako's arm and walked away.

Minako stood in the middle of the hallway, watching as Rei stormed away.

She sighed._ "Something is deffinately wrong with her... and I'm going to find out what it is!"

* * *

_

All Minako did was stare at Rei the whole period. She wondered what was wrong with her. And _nothing_ was going to stop Aino Minako from finding out what was wrong with her friend. Minako was so into thinking about what was wrong with Rei, that she didn't even hear Mrs. Tenohamu call on her.

"Miss Aino, can you tell me what Wegener's theory was and what kind of evidence he found to prove that the continents moved?" Mrs. Tenohamu asked.

"Rei..." Minako accidentally blurted out, not realizing what she had just said.

"What?" Mrs. Tenohamu asked.

Minako looked up at Mrs. Tenohamu, finally realizing that she had called on her.

"Uh..." Minako looked around the room, not knowing what to say.

"Not paying attention again, I see? That's the fourth time this week. Next time, I won't let you get away with it," Mrs. Tenohamu said as she glared at Minako.

Minako nodded. "Sorry, Sensei. It won't happen again, I promise." she looked over at Rei, whose eyes were glued to her text book.

_"That's it! I'm going to find out what's wrong with her if it's the last thing I do!" _Minako thought.

* * *

School finally ended, and Rei was at the Temple doing her homework in her room when there was a knock on the door.

Rei grunted as she opened the door. "Who the--- Minako?!"

"Surprise!" Minako said as she walked right into Rei's room.

"Wh... what are you doing here? Who let you in?" Rei asked.

"Your Grandpa did," Minako began. "And I came here because I know that something's bothering you."

"Nothing's wrong," Rei quickly said.

Minako gave Rei a stern look. "Rei, I'm not stupid. I know you like a book. Something's bothering you."

"I told you, I'm fine!" Rei snapped.

"See! You're never like this! You've snapped at everyone all day today. Either something's bothering you, or you're just being a total witch!" Minako cried.

"There's just been a lot going on!" Rei said.

"Like what?"

Rei paused. "Nothing... nothing, just forget it. Can you please leave?"

"No."

Rei rolled her eyes. "God, you're just like Usagi! You never want to give up on anything!"

"This isn't about Usagi, it's about you. So stop changing the subject! I'm freakin' worried about you Rei! And all you care about is telling me to leave when I'm trying to help you out! And all you did today was parade around the school shouting 'screw the world,' and not letting any of us help you!" Minako shouted.

Rei was taken aback by what Minako had said. She fell silent.

"I'm outta here," Minako said as she grabbed the door knob.

"Grandpa," Rei suddenly blurted out. Rei didn't know if she would regret telling Minako everything, or be thankful. She just hoped she was doing the right thing.

"What?" Minako asked.

"Grandpa," Rei repeated. "He's... not doing too well..."

Minako let go of the door knob and came over to Rei. "What happened?"

Rei sighed. "Well... he just had a really bad case of the flu so... he hasn't been too healthy ever since and... ya know, he's really not young obviously so..." she looked down at the ground. "I'm scared that I might loose him..."

Minako had a sympothetic look on her face. "Rei... I'm sorry. I didn't know..."

Rei shook her head. "Nah, don't worry about it. I just..." she trailed off.

"You miss her, don't you?" Minako asked.

Rei blinked. "Who?"

"Your mom."

Rei rubbed her temples. "I... I don't know... It's not like I loose sleep over it. I'm pretty used to it actually. I mean, after all these years, I finally learned to stop crying and face reality. Life isn't all about fun and games. Once you think life is good, it kicks you right in the ass."

Minako nodded. "You're right. Life _isn't_ all fun and games. But Rei-chan," she began. "To be honest with you, life can bring many good things for us. If you just give it a chance, maybe it _won't_ kick you in the ass. Life brought me a good thing. I met Usagi, Ami, Makoto, Naru, and you."

Rei grinned. "Yeah, you have a point there. But the thing that makes me scared the most is that... If something even more serious happens to Grandpa... what will I do? Where will I go?"

Minako laughed. "I suppose you haven't heard of the word _friends. _We'll always be there for you, in good times and bad."

Rei smiled. "Thanks."

Minako returned the smile. "No problem, Rei-chan." She held out her arms. "Give me a hug!"

Rei playfully rolled her eyes. "Y... yeah. Thanks, Mina-chan. You're a good friend."


	7. Problems Breaking Through

**A/N: Hooray! The next chappie! Thanks for the reviews :)

* * *

**

Rei was in better spirits the next day. She was back to her normal self. Minako would still give her the occasinal "Are you OK?" And Rei would simply just say "Yes." Usagi would sometimes get courious and ask "What? Why are you asking Rei if she's OK?" Rei told Minako to not tell anyone about what happened the other day, so Minako kept her lips shut. So, with that drama over, everything was back to normal. Usagi and Minako making fun of Mrs. Tenohamu, Ami was studying, Rei was herself--- which was grumpy, Makoto was always smiling, and Naru... well, no one seemed to know about Naru lately. Naru felt lately that she wasn't there, not part of the group.

"Hey! Usagi!" Minako cried as she ran past all the students in the hallway.

"Hey, Mina-chan!" Usagi waved. Naru was also next to Usagi, but Minako didn't say anything to her.

"Do you want to go to the mall tonight at five o'clock? Everyone's coming!" Minako said.

Usagi was beaming. "You bet! Are we all meeting there?"

Minako nodded. "Yep! Right near the food court."

"Great! I'll be there!"

"Can I come?" Naru asked.

"Oh! I can't wait! They're having a huge sale at Delia's! They have the best clothes there!" Minako said, not hearing what Naru had said.

"Can I come?" she asked once again, this time, a little louder.

Minako blinked. "Uh... yeah, sure. Just don't be late."

Naru nodded slowly. "O... OK."

"So anyway," Minako said to Usagi. "We _have_ to go to Delia's, JC Penny, Hot Topic, and Newberry Comics! Those are the _best_ stores!"

"Right! I can't wait! I love Friday's," Usagi smiled.

"Ah, I know!" Minako giggled.

While Usagi and Minako were busy gossiping, Naru felt a little upset. She felt like her friend's were ignoring her. She just hoped that everything will work out tonight.

* * *

Minako tapped her foot impatiently. It was half past five, and still no sign of Usagi nor Naru.

"_Where _is Usagi?" Minako asked.

Rei rolled her eyes. "Who knows. She could be in New York by now, who knows."

"I told her five o'clock!" Minako cried.

"Hey, everyone!" cried a voice. Minako whirled around to find a beaming Usagi running towards them.

"Usagi-chan! You're late!" Minako said.

"I know! I'm so sorry! My mom took forever getting ready, and there was so much traffic!" Usagi cried.

"Well, it took you long enough, Odango," Rei said.

Usagi smiled. "So is everyone here?"

Makoto shook her head. "We're still waiting for Naru."

"She's really late..." Ami said looking at the ground.

"Well, maybe we'll get started with the shopping. This mall closes at eight o'clock! She'll come soon and find us. It's not like this is a big mall, anyway," Minako said.

"I guess you're right," Usagi said.

"C'mon! I've been waiting all day for this! Let's get started with the shopping!" Minako smiled.

As soon as the five friends left, Naru came walking in the mall. She went over to the food court and waited.

"I'm kinda late... I wonder where they all are..." Naru pondered.

* * *

Five-forty-five. Still no sign of the five friends. Naru was about to give up on waiting when all of a sudden she saw all five of them walking out of Hot Topic.

"Hey!" Naru cried. "Usagi! Over here!"

Usagi turned ariund to find Naru. "Naru-chan!" she said as she ran over to her.

"W... where were you guys?" Naru asked. "You told me to meet you near the food court."

"We were waiting. For a while, actually. But... you didn't come. So we just started to shop while we waited for you," Usagi explained.

Naru nodded slowly. "O... OK..."

"So do you wanna join now?" Usagi asked.

"Uh... no. I'll just go home. I'm fine," Naru said looking at the ground.

"C'mon! It won't be any fun without you!" Usagi exclaimed.

"No... I gotta go. Thanks anyway."

Usagi frowned. "Well... OK."

And with that, Naru stormed out of the mall, not looking back at her friends. _"That was a total nightmare. I can't believe that they started shopping without me! I'm so pissed off." _she thought. _"All they did was ignore me this whole week! And now this! I'm so mad...!" _she clenched her fists. _"I'll give them a piece of my mind... just wait and see..."_

**A/N: Heyy! Sorry if this chappie was a little bit short. But don't worry, I have many great ideas ahead! And I'm planning on doing something with Haruka and Michiru. I also have something planned with Usagi, Mamoru, Motoki, and Makoto! Yay! Keep on the reviews! I love you all **

**Much love,**

**FoRgEtReGrEt525**


	8. Love Heals

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for all the awesome reviews! Here's the next chappie!

* * *

**

"Oh my _God!" _Usagi cried as she ran over to her friends.

"What's up, Usagi-chan?" Makoto asked.

"AH! Guess what? We're gonna have a dance on October 30th!" Usagi sqealed as she jumped up and down.

"Eh? You mean like... a_ dance? _With a boy?" Minako asked.

Usagi nodded. "Yep, yep! It's gonna be a Halloween dance. It'll be perfect for me and Mamo-chan! And Mako-chan and Motoki!"

Makoto went pink. "U--- Usagi!"

Minako giggled. "Ah, love... You guys are so lucky. Ami, Rei, and I don't have anyone to cuddle with!"

Rei rolled her eyes. "I don't need a boy right now."

"Yes you do! You just don't wanna admit it!" Minako grinned.

"I do not! I just don't want anyone... yet," Rei said.

"Well, I'm really not worried about a boy yet," Ami said. Minako opened her mouth to protest, but Ami spoke up again. "But the thing I'm worried about it Naru-chan."

Makoto scratched her head. "Oh yeah... I forgot about that whole thing..."

Minako dramatically rolled her eyes. "Oh please, she's throwing everything out of proportion! I told her to show up at five o'clock, and she showed up a half hour later! That's just plain stupid."

"Well, maybe something happened while she was coming here," Usagi suggested.

"But she didn't say anything about why she came late," Rei pointed out.

Makoto nodded. "That's true. Rei-chan's got a point."

Usagi pouted. "I knew something like this was gonna happen."

"What do you mean?" Ami asked.

"Well... I don't know... It's just lately we've been leaving her out... ya know?" Usagi said.

Ami nodded slowly. "I guess you're right."

"I didn't even know that we were leaving her out," Rei said.

"Me either," Minako added.

"Well, don't worry. I know Naru-chan. She'll come to us eventually," Usagi smiled.

* * *

_NARU'S POV_

_"I can't believe them... why did they do that? They totally left me behind! Some friends they are..." _Naru thought. _"Minako said that we were suppost to meet at five-thirty... right? Or was it five o'clock? No, it was five-thirty. So why did they leave? Usagi probably came late, so why did they just wait for her and not me? They've been leaving me out lately... I can't---"_

"Miss Osaka, can you tell me what the Mercalli Scale was?" Mrs. Tenohamu asked.

_"I freakin' hate when she randomly calls on people like that..."_ Naru thought. "Uh... I'm not... sure..."

Mrs. Tenohamu shook her head. "Well, that's just too bad, isn't it?"

Naru sunk in her chair_. "Who am I? Minako? I need to focus. I'll worry about them later."_ she glanced over at the clock. _"Five minutes left until next period. Thank God."

* * *

_

"Have you talked to Naru-chan yet?" Minako whispered over to Rei. They were at third period, which was Math class. They were working on some problems--- the perfect oppertunity to talk.

Rei shook her head. "No. Haven't gotten the chance yet. You?"

"No..." Minako looked at the ground. "You don't think it's our fault, do you?"

Rei cocked an eyebrow. "No. Why?"

"Well I mean... we have been... I guess... ignoring her... that's why," Minako said.

"We haven't been ignoring her, we just..." Rei sighed. "I was worried about Grandpa the whole time, so I really didn't pay as much attention to her as I should've."

"Don't blame it on yourself!" Minako hissed.

"I'm not, I'm just..." Rei trailed off.

"What about Usagi? Did she talk to Naru-chan yet?" Minako asked.

"I don't think so. She would've told us, anyway." Rei said.

Minako nodded. "Yeah... I guess you're right---"

"Ladies, is there something you'd like to share with us?" asked the Math teacher, Mr. Ichigo.

Minako shook her head. "No, Sensei. Nothing."

"Good," he said as he turned around to the board again.

Minako rolled her eyes. "God, why do they always cetch me talking?"

Rei smirked. "Because your mouth is moving and words are coming out of your lips."

Minako grinned. "Ha ha, Rei-chan. You're so funny," she said sarcastically.

* * *

"_Where_ is Naru-chan?!" Usagi cried at the lunch table.

"How come she's not sitting with us?" Makoto asked.

"OK, as we can see, this isn't working," Rei said. "All we're doing is asking questions that no one can answer. Why din't we just _go up _to her."

Usagi blinked. "Oh, right! I'm good at this. Hold on," she said as she left the lunch table in search of Naru.

While Usagi was looking for Naru, she spotted Haruka and Michiru sitting together at a table. _"I suppose it wouldn't kill just to talk to them a little bit,"_ Usagi thought. She came over them. "Hi!" she chirped.

Haruka looked up from her sandwich to Usagi. "Oh, hey Odango!"

Usagi pouted. "Why does everyone call me that?!"

Haruka chuckled. "Word goes around fast in middle school."

"I can see that..." Usagi mumbled.

"So... do you need anything?" Michiru asked.

"Oh! Right!" Usagi laughed. "I was wondering if you guys have seen Naru-chan?"

Michiru shook her head. "No... I don't think so. Why? Isn't she suppost to be with you guys?"

Usagi nodded. "Yeah but... we kinda... got into a fight I guess, so..."

Haruka smiled. "Don't worry, Odango. We'll tell you when we see her."

Usagi nodded. "Thanks! Have a good lunch! That sandwich looks_ really _good!"

Haruka looked over at Michiru, who chuckled. "Th... thanks."

"You're welcome!" Usagi chirped. "Oh! Are you guys going to the middle school dance? It's on October 30th."

"Uh... yeah. I like dances," Michiru said.

Haruka shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

"Great! I'll see you there, then!" Usagi smiled. "Bye!" she said as she ran off.

"Bye," Michiru waved. She looked at Haruka. "What a strange girl."

Haruka nodded in agreement. "Yeah..."

* * *

After many minutes of looking, Usagi finally found Naru in the bathroom fixing her hair.

_"Why is she in here?"_ Usagi thought. "Naru-chan?"

Naru whirled around. "Usagi-chan? Why are you here?"

"I was going to ask you the same question," Usagi chuckled.

"Um... listen... I'm sorry, It was my fault. Minako-chan told me to come at five-thirty, and I came late. I'm sorry," Naru said.

"It's OK---" Usagi paused. "Naru-chan... did you say... five-thirty?"

Naru nodded. "Yeah. That was the time, right?"

Usagi clasped her hand over her mouth. "Naru-chan... you were suppost to come at five o'clock!"

Naru's eyes widened. "You're kidding!"

Usagi shook her head. "No! That's why we waited more than a half hour for you! Because you thought it was at five-thirty. It makes so much sense now!"

"Oh, God I'm so sorry!" Naru cried.

"No, it's OK. Don't worry," Usagi reassured her. "You're not mad anymore, right?"

Naru shook her head. "Not at all!"

"Great!" Usagi smiled. "C'mon, let's get back to the lunch table. That sandwich Haruka-san was eating made me hungry again!"

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry for the late update a lot has been going on so... at least it's vacation! WOOHOO! lol. Anyway, I promise to keep on updating, so keep up your reviews! I love you all!**

**Much love,**

**FoRgEtReGrEt525**


	9. Forgetful Birthday

**A/N: Heyyy! Just want to say thanks for all your wonderful reviews The next chapter is going to be the dance. I'm sorry if I keep holding it off, but I wanted to do whoevers birthday was the closest. (I'm sorry I skipped Ami's which was September 10th!) But I'm not going to do all of the Senshi's b-days. It would be too much. So I just wanted to make things clear for you guys : Happy reading!**

**Much love,**

**FoRgEtReGrEt525

* * *

**

Minako Aino walked in school with a huge grin on her face. It was October 22nd, her birthday. Minako was now turning twelve years old, so she was now one of the oldest of the group (including Ami whose birthday was September 10th.) Minako was the only one in the school yard until Makoto came in. She was so happy to see Makoto, that she almost flew over to her. She beamed. "Mako-chan! Over here!"

"Hey," Makoto said as she came over to Minako. She stared down at her beaming face. "Why are you so happy?"

Minako blinked. "What?"

"You're like... happier than usual. Are you OK?" Makoto asked.

Minako's jaw hung open. "Don't tell me... you don't know...?"

"Know what?"

"Mina-chan!" called a voice. Minako looked away from Makoto to see Usagi running towards her. "Mina-chan! Happy birthday!"

"Thank you, Usagi-chan," Minako said as she looked back at Makoto.

Makoto scratched her head. "Oh, yeah! You know I was just kidding, right? I... remembered your birthday! I was just playing with you!"

Usagi gasped. "Mako-chan! You forgot Mina---"

"Usagi! I did not forget it...! So clap your trap!" Makoto snapped.

"Are you sure...?" Minako asked.

Makoto laughed nervously. "Of course! Who do you think I am? I didn't forget it!"

"Oh, good! I knew that you didn't forget it! You really fooled me, Mako-chan," Minako smiled.

"Y... Yeah," Makoto said. _"God! Why did I forget her birthday?! I hate lying to my friends... But I really don't want to disappoint Minako by telling her the truth. I just can't even believe that I forgot her birthday! We've been friends for... how even long? Ugh, I just hope she doesn't find out that I forgot..."_ she thought.

* * *

First period went by very slowly for Makoto. She tapped her finger on her desk impatiently. She groaned. _"Come on... when is the bell going to ring? I can't take one more second with Mrs. Tenohamu. Ugh... I hate having to listen to her babble how two plates collide. Who cares?" _Makoto glanced over at the clock._ "It's officially... nine-twenty... Great, still another twenty-five minutes. I feel so guilty about what happened with Minako. But I do know the perfect person to talk to for help..." _Makoto smiled. _"Ami-chan." _Makoto looked over at Mrs. Tenohamu, who was busy correcting worksheets. Makoto, who sat in back of Ami, took out a piece of paper and began to write on it.

_- Ami-chan, I need to talk to you about something. Can you help? _

Makoto tapped Ami on her back and handed her the note. Ami read it and began to write back. She gave it back to Makoto. It said:

_- I really don't know... Can it wait? We're in class, Mako-chan. And plus, if Mrs. Tenohamu sees us, she'll have our heads!_

Makoto rolled her eyes and began to write.

_- Oh please, who cares what she says! And yes, it is kind of important. Please, can you listen?_

Ami read the note and sighed. The note continued for the rest of class.

_- OK, but only for a little while. What happened? Something with Motoki-kun?_

_- No, no! It's Minako-chan. I totally forgot her birthday, and now I have no idea what to do with her. Knowing Minako, she'll probably kill me when she finds out that I forgot it._

_- She didn't know before?_

_- No. I told her that I didn't forgot it, even thought I really did. So she thought it was all a joke that I forgot her birthday._

_- I don't think that she will get mad, but she might get upset that you lied to her. But if you tell her the truth, she probably won't get mad at you, Mako-chan._

_- I guess you're right. But I feel like an idiot because I've known her for like... six years and I still forgot her birthday! I don't know what's wrong with me, Ami-chan..._

_- It's OK! Don't worry. It's just her birthday, she shouldn't make such a big scene about it... I hope. Because you know how she can have her diva side, so... But you should be fine._

_- OK, thanks, Ami-chan. See? Mrs. Tenohamu didn't see us! It's good to do something bad in your life!_

_- I guess you're right, Mako-chan. At least we only have two more periods after this, and then it's lunch. You should talk to Minako-chan then._

_- Got it. Thanks._

_- You're welcome!

* * *

_

All Makoto did was fiddle with her food at lunch. She was nervous to tell Minako the truth. She gulped. _"What if she hates me? What if she doesn't even invite me to her birthday party? What if---"_

"Makoto?" asked a troubled Rei. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, you're really quiet today," Naru added.

Makoto nodded. "Y... yeah! I'm fine. Just not hungry, I guess."

"Hey, guys!" Minako began. "Mako-chan was so funny this morning! She said that she forgot my birthday, even though she really didn't! She really had me fooled. Right, Mako-chan?"

Makoto cleared her throat. "Uh... about that..."

Minako tilted her head. "Yeah?"

"Minako, I... I actually... kinda forgot your birthday... I'm really sorry, it won't happen again!" Makoto said.

Minako blinked. "That's it?"

"Eh?"

"Mako-chan, we're not in Kinderarten anymore. Don't worry! It was just a silly mistake! I know you really didn't mean to forget my birthday," Minako smiled.

Makoto smiled back. "Good! I thought you would get mad."

Minako shook her head. "It's really nothing big. Don't worry. But..."

Makoto's eyes widened. "What? Are you mad?"

Minako grinned. "No. But you have to make it up to me."

Makoto cocked an eyebrow. "How?"

"Buy me a birthday present!"

Makoto playfully rolled her eyes. "What do you want, then?"

"A pony!" Minako laughed.

Makoto also laughed. "That'll be that day, Minako-chan."

* * *

**A/N: Haha! Cute chappie ; Review, please!  
**


	10. The First Middle School Dance

**A/N: GAH!! I'm SO sorry for the late update! My computer was finally moved to MY room (before it was in my sister's room) and we had to move it in my room and had to start it from scratch again! (luckily I didn't start the next chapter when we moved it!) Everything was erased! So once again, I'm SOOOO sorry! I know how much you guys were chomping at the bit to read the dance chapter, so here it is! Also, I would like to thank Richforce for giving me the idea to put Umino in this chappie! THANK YOU VERY, VERY, VERY MUCH, RICHFORCE! And one more thing, at first I didn't want to mention this, but I based Mrs. Tenohamun on MY homeroom/science teacher! XD She's so mean to me! I felt like Usagi or Minako because I was taking a spelling test, and I was talking to my friend who sat next to me, and 'Mrs. Tenohamu' is like: "I hope you aren't talking during a test!" And I was like "Hey, let's have a crabbie teacher in the fic that doesn't really like Usagi and Minako!" Haha! So I thank my homeroom/science teacher for giving me the inspiration of Mrs. Tenohamu! So that's the story. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, and I'm sorry once again about the whole moving process and the not writing for a while! Gomen-ne!

* * *

**

"Oh my God you guys! Can you believe that the dance is already_ tonight_?!" Usagi cried to her friends as they walked down the hallway.

"I know, it came up fast! I'm so excited! I wonder if a really cute kid will ask me to dance!" Minako beamed.

Rei sighed. "I don't even know why I'm coming. No one's going to ask me to dance."

"Don't be so negative, Rei-chan!" Minako cried.

"That makes two of us," Ami said.

Usagi's eyes widened. "Ami-chan! Don't ever say that! Someone will ask you to dance, I'm sure of it!"

"Well, I don't know..." Ami looked at the ground.

"At least none of you are tall. No one will ask me if I'm taller than them," Makoto said.

Usagi furrowed her eyebrows. "You_ guys_! C'mon! We're trying to make middle school memories here! What's with you? You guys are all very pretty! Don't ever doubt yourselves."

Makoto smiled. "I guess you're right, Usagi."

"Yeah! That's the spirit! Let's have fun tonight!" Minako cried.

Usagi nodded. "Yeah! I can't wait!"

"You gals are going to the dance tonight?" came a voice. Usagi turned around. It was no other than... Gurio Umino. Umino was the 'nerd' in the sixth grade class. He has big glasses... almost bigger than his head. His real name is Gurio, but everyone just simply calls him Umino.

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Umino! What are you doing?! We're having girl talk here!"

"I know, but I couldn't help hear what you gals were saying. I'm going to the dance too, so if any of you wanna dance with me tonight, I'm free!" Umino said as he adjusted his glasses.

"Thanks but no thanks, Umino," Usagi grumbled.

"Hold on, Usagi. He may look kinda nerdy, but under all of that, he looks kind of... cute!" Naru said.

The five other friends looked at Naru in awe.

"Are... are you serious, Naru-chan?" Minako asked.

"Yeah... this is _Umino_ we're talking about," Usagi said.

"I know, but..." Naru trailed off.

"So is that a yes then?" Umino asked with hopeful eyes.

"Sure!" Naru smiled.

"Yes! I'm cool for once! I've got a date for the dance!" Umino cheered. And with that, he ran off happily.

"Naru-chan... why did you do that?" Usagi asked.

"Because... I kinda... felt bad... I mean, no one wanted to ask him, so... I just hope I did the right thing," Naru said.

"Me too," Usagi mumbled.

* * *

This was it. It was the very first middle school dance. All six friends came in the cafeteria (which was where the dance was.)

"AHHH! I'm so excited!" Usagi cried. "I can't wait to dance with Mamoru!"

"Now hold your horses, Usagi-chan," Minako began. "You only dance with Mamoru-san when it's a _slow _song. Otherwise, you mess up all the romance," she winked.

"Yeah, for once Minako has a point," Rei said. "Just the slow songs, got it?"

"Well, OK," Usagi smiled.

"But you can dance with your friends at the fast songs. That's always fun. Especially when _everyone_ dances," Minako said as she glared at Rei.

Rei rolled her eyes. "Fine. But I'm not going to dance like a bubbly moron out there."

"Don't worry! You'll be fine!" Minako reassured her. "Just dance like no one is watching! That's what I think of."

Rei tried to hide the goofy grin that creeped on her face. "Thanks."

"No problem!" Minako chirped. "And Ami-chan, you're going to dance too!"

"Well, I suppose so..." Ami blushed.

"You too, Mako-chan!" Usagi added.

Makoto shrugged. "I guess so. Probably with you guys most of the time."

"I'm sure someone will ask you all to dance! C'mon, it'll be fun!" Usagi cheered.

"Hey, Naru-chan... you're kinda quiet today. Are you OK?" Makoto asked.

Naru nodded. "Yep! I'm just waiting for Umino... I guess."

"Naru-chan, you didn't have to force yourself to go with Umino," Usagi said.

"I didn't force myself... It's just... he was looking at me with his big eyes and I just blurted out that I would go with him," Naru explained.

"Well, don't worry, Naru-chan. Umino may be kinda weird and creepy, but he's a nice guy," Usagi said. "And you really made him happy, that's for sure!"

Naru laughed. "You're right. I'll just... go with the flow. Maybe it'll be fun."

All of a sudden, Usagi gasped. "There he is! Mamoru's here! AH! What'll I do? What'll I do?!"

"OK, just calm down, Usagi. Everything will be fine. He'll come over to say hi to us soon, so just stay calm," Minako said.

"Oh God, Motoki's here too..." Makoto said.

"Ah! I can't handle two at a time! Ami-chan, you're going to need to calm Mako-chan down!" Minako commanded.

"No! I'm fine. I'm not going crazy or anything. We're just... friends," Makoto said.

"Just friends? Just _friends_?! You two are more than just friends! I bet you he's going to ask you to dance! AH! This is so exciting! I'm getting tingles!" Minako squeaked.

"Oh no! Mina-chan, they're coming over here! No! Help!" Usagi cried.

"OK! Just speak normal. Don't babble about nothing, just make small talk, got it?" Minako asked.

Usagi nodded. "Here I go!"

"Hey, Usagi!" Mamoru smiled.

"H... hey...!" she squeaked out. "Nice...Halloween decorations, huh?"

Mamoru nodded. "Yeah. They look pretty cool."

"You... you look nice tonight," Usagi turned a light shade of pink.

"Thanks, so do you," Mamoru smiled.

Usagi's face was now fully red. "Th... thank you."

"So, uh... do you want to go grab some punch and some snacks?" Mamoru asked.

"Sure! I'm not a fussy eater!" Usagi chirped. And with that, they both went off to get their snacks.

"Perfect," Minako said. "She actually did a god job with the small talk!"

"Oh no, here comes Motoki..." Makoto said sh she looked down at the ground.

"I thought you said that you weren't going to go crazy about him," Minako said as her eyes shifted up and down.

"I'm not!" Makoto blushed.

"Ah! Here he comes!" Minako said.

"H...hi, Mako-chan!" Motoki waved.

"Hey...!" Makoto smiled.

"Have you seen Mamoru around? I lost him," Motoki said.

Makoto nodded. "Yeah, he should be with Usagi near the snack bar."

"Oh, thanks. And Mako-chan... did anyone already ask you to dance at the first slow song?" Motoki asked.

Makoto's eyes widened. her palms became cold and sweaty and her heart was beating fast. "N... no. Why...?"

"Oh, I was... just wondering... Thanks," he said as he looked at the ground. "I'll see ya around, then."

Makoto nodded. "B... bye..."

Minako came over to Makoto. "What happened?"

"He asked me if anyone had asked me to dance at the first slow song," Makoto explained.

"And...?"

"I said 'no, why?'"

Minako clasped her hand over her mouth. "Oh no... Mako-chan, you really should go tell him that you want to dance with him!"

"I don't know if I do...!" Makoto cried.

Minako blinked. "Why?"

"Because...ugh, I just don't know! It doesn't even matter, anyway. He probably doesn't even like me."

Minako furrowed her eyebrows. "Mako-chan! He so likes you! Why do you doubt yourself?"

"I..." Makoto looked at the ground. "I don't know."

* * *

It was seven o'clock. An hour had officially passed already, and there still was no slow song. Usagi, at this point, was about to cry.

"When is the slow song going to come on?! I'm getting really sick of waiting!" Usagi pouted.

"It should be coming on any minute..." Minako said.

"God, I'm so nervous. What if I don't dance right?!" Usagi said as her eyes shifted nervously.

"Don't worry, Usagi-chan! You'll dance fine!" Ami smiled.

"Thank you, Ami-chan," Usagi smiled back.

"Hey, Odango!" came a voice.

"My name's not Odan--- AH! Haruka-san! Michiru-san!" Usagi chirped.

"Hey!" Michiru smiled. "How's the dance coming along?"

Usagi nodded. "It's good! I'm just waiting for the slow song to finally come on..."

"You didn't dance with him yet?" Michiru asked.  
Usagi shook her head. "No... not yet. I'm just so nervous, though!"

"Don't be. I know it's your first middle school dance, but don't be so nervous, it'll mess you up," Haruka said. "But enough with my babbling, the slow song is finally starting, Odango!"

Usagi's eyes widened. "AH! What'll I do?! What'll I do?!"

"Go, Usagi-chan!" Minako commanded.

"But... but!"

"Just go!" Minako said as she gave Usagi a push.

Usagi came over to the dance floor, and as soon as she got there, Mamoru was waiting for her. She slowly came up to him. "Hi... again."

Mamoru chuckled. "Yeah... so do you want to start to dance?"

Usagi smiled. "Sure."

They both went to the beat of the music, back and fourth.

_"He's such a good dancer! This is how I always dreamed it would be like dancing with him!" _Usagi thought.

Meanwhile, Minako was driving Makoto crazy...

"MAKO-CHAN! Go dance with Motoki!" Minako yelled.

"Yelling at me isn't going to do anything! I just... don't want to...!" Makoto said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Minako pouted. "Please. He's just really nervous, so he probably doesn't want to ask you. He'll be so happy, Mako-chan."

Makoto sighed. "...Fine. But only this one dance."

"Now go, Mako-chan!" Minako smiled.

Makoto gulped. She came over to Motoki, who was watching all of the other kids slow dance.

"M... Motoki-kun?" Makoto asked.

Motoki looked over at Makoto. "Mako-chan! Are you going to wait until the song is over?"

"Uh... well, no. Do... do you want to dance... with... me?" Makoto asked.

Motoki beamed. "Yes! Yes, Mako-chan!" He grabbed her hand. "Let's go!"

Makoto and Motoki began to slow dance. Naru was dancing with Umino, and Usagi was dancing with Mamoru. It was only Minako, Rei, and Ami left.

"I'm happy for them," Minako smiled.

Rei nodded. "Yeah," she looked over at Ami. "Ami-chan, is there anyone you want to ask?"

Ami blushed. "Uh...no. I just like watching everyone else dance, I'm fine though."

"Um, excuse me..." said a voice. Ami turned around. There was a boy with short, dirty blonde hair. He was also in the sixth grade. He was blushing madly.

"Would you... dance with me?" he asked nervously.

Ami blinked. "Uh... sure...!"

"Yay, Ami-chan!" Minako cheered.

Ami blushed. "Um... I'll be back, OK?"

Rei nodded. "Yeah, that's fine."

Ami and the cute little boy went off to dance. Now it was just down to two... Rei and Minako. They both sat down at a nearby table, watching their friends dance.

"Fun dance, huh?" Rei asked.

Minako nodded. "Sure is... I guess we're the only losers who didn't get asked."

Rei sighed. "Yep... I suppose so."

"Well, so much for my theory of being asked to dance. I was hoping something good would happen tonight. But I'm still happy for everyone who did get asked," Minako smiled weakly.

Rei chuckled. "It's good to be the losers once and a while."

"I think we will ever forget this. Our very first middle school dance and no one asked us. That's typical," Minako rested her elbow on the table and placed her chin on her palm. "_So_ typical."

"Don't feel so bad about it. It's just one stupid dance; it's not going to affect the rest of our lives," Rei said.

"But if s no one asks us now, then they'll never ask us at the other dances! It's not fair..." Minako pouted.

"Life's not fair, get to know it now," Rei sighed. "I learned that when my mom died."

Minako blinked, and then looked at the ground. "I'm sorry. Here I am complaining how no one asked me to a stupid dance, and you... you're really strong, Rei-chan. I feel so stupid. You probably didn't even complain once about your life, even when your mom passed away... I'm sorry I'm being like a brat."

Rei was appalled at what Minako had said. She smiled. "Don't worry. I've complained a lot of times... too many times in fact. It's no big deal. But I'm sure you'll find your Prince Charming someday, Mina-chan."

Minako laughed. "And I'm sure it won't be for a while."

Rei smiled. "You got that right. C'mon, we still have an hour left at the dance. Let's have fun. But...I'm pretty sure the next hour is going to be Usagi talking our ears off about how she danced with Mamoru-san."

Minako giggled. "It's going to be a _long_ night with Usagi."


	11. Moonlight Mysterious Cat

**A/N: Heyyy! Sorry once again about last week with the whole moving process But now we should be back on track haha! Here's the next chapter!

* * *

**

"I had such a great time at the dance! Didn't you guys?" Usagi chirped.

Ami nodded. "I can't believe that someone asked me to dance!"

Usagi giggled. "I told you, Ami-chan! I knew someone would ask you to dance! What about you, Mako-chan? Did Motoki-kun ask you?"

Makoto tried to hide her blush. "Y... yeah."

"Great! I knew he would!" Usagi looked over at Minako and Rei, who hadn't said anything. "What about you, Mina-chan?"

Minako blinked. "Oh..! Uh... No one really asked me to dance."

Usagi's eyes widened. "Oh no, Minako-chan! I'm sorry!" she glanced over at Rei. "What about you, Rei-chan?"

Rei snorted. "Are you kidding me? No one asked me."

Usagi pouted. "That's too bad! What's wrong with those boys not asking you guys?"

Minako laughed. "Don't worry, Usagi-chan. It's just a dance."

"But you were looking forward to dancing with someone!" Usagi cried.

"It's OK, it's OK!" Minako reassured her. "We're fine, right, Rei-chan?"

Rei nodded. "Yeah, it's no big deal, Usagi."

Usagi smiled. "Well, as long as you guys are happy, so am I."

Minako smirked. "Enough about us, what about you, Usagi-chan?"

Usagi blushed. "I had a great time with Mamo-chan. He was such a good dancer!"

"Oh, I bet he was..." Minako said raising her eyebrows up and down.

Usagi blushed violently. "Minako-chan...!"

"What about you, Naru-chan? How was Umino?" Makoto asked.

"He was fine," Naru smiled. "Believe it or not, he was a pretty good dancer for a nerd."

"Wow. Umino... a good dancer...? That's just weird," Usagi said.

"He actually was, Usagi-chan! I was surprised myself," Naru laughed.

"When are we going to have another dance?" Ami asked.

Usagi put her index finger on her chin. "I don't know. Maybe that was the only dance of the year."

"But if it was the only dance of the year, why did they just make it a Halloween dance?" Minako asked.

"That's true... Hey, I don't know. Unless we dare someone to ask Mrs. Tenohamu," Usagi snorted.

Minako crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Who in their right mind would want to go ask Mrs. Tenohamu? She probably doesn't even remember what she ate for breakfast, the old hag!"

Usagi laughed. "That's true, very true."

* * *

_AMI'S POV_

"Take your seats!" screeched Mrs. Tenohamu's loud, raspy voice.

Ami immediately sat down in her chair.

"OK, we're going to correct your homework together. So everyone take out your homework and your red pen." Mrs. Tenohamu commanded.

Ami shuffled through her folder to find her homework. It wasn't in there. Her eyes widened. She checked her other folder, and another, and another until there were no more folders to check. _"Oh no! I must've forgotten it at home! Oh... no. Mrs. Tenohamu's going to kill me! What should I do?" _Ami thought. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Ami turned around to find Usagi holding her homework paper in her hand. "Quick, Ami-chan! Copy my homework and give it back to me! Hurry, before Mrs. Tenohamu comes around and checks that we have it!" Usagi commanded.

"But...! How did you know that I forgot it?" Ami asked.

Usagi smiled. "Because I saw the expression on your face and I noticed that you weren't the first one to have your homework out."

"But... This doesn't feel right. I should just tell her that I forgot it instead of copying yours---"

"Ami-chan! No time for talking! Hurry!" Usagi said as she noticed Mrs. Tenohamu start walking around the room.

Ami blushed. "Thank you."

Usagi smiled. "You're welcome."

Ami quickly copied Usagi's homework down to a piece of paper. Ami began to become frustrated that she couldn't read Usagi's sloppy writing. She also became frustrated at the fact that _her_ writing was indeed sloppy for rushing. Right when Mrs. Tenohamu came over to Minako, who sat in front of Ami, she finished. She quickly passed the homework back to Usagi. Ami smiled at Usagi, and Usagi smiled back.

"Miss Mizuno," Mrs. Tenohamu said as she stared down at Ami's sloppy homework. Ami looked at her, afraid of what she was going to say next. "Good job. But make sure you work on your hand writing. It's getting worse."

Ami sweat dropped. "Yes... Sensei..."

Usagi laughed as she over heard the conversation. Ami looked back at Usagi, who also laughed.

"Miss Tsukino," Mrs. Tenohamu began. "I don't know what you're laughing about, but it better be something really funny for me to indeed laugh too. Is it something that funny?"

Usagi shook her head. "No, Sensei."

"That's what I thought. As for this completely and utterly sloppy homework, I want you to re-write it, got it? This is a complete and utter mess, Miss Tsukino." Mrs. Tenohamu said.

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Yes... Sensei."

"Don't you roll your eyes at me, young lady, or I will give you a detention!" Mrs. Tenohamu spat.

"Sorry, Sensei! It won't happen again! Just please don't give me a detention!" Usagi pleaded.

Mrs. Tenohamu sighed. "Very well. But next time it's a detention, got it?"

Usagi nodded. "Yes Sensei."

**The end of the day...**

"Did you see the look on Usagi's face when Mrs. Tenohamu came over to her? It was classic!" Rei laughed.

"Rei-chan!" Minako slapped Rei's arm. "It's not funny!"

"Ouch! Minako! That freakin' hurt!" Rei said as she clutched her arm.

Minako rolled her eyes. "Kami, you're acting more like a diva than me today! That didn't even hurt, Rei-chan!"

"It did so!"

"Did not!"

"How would you know? You didn't even get hit!"

"_Guys_!" Usagi cried. "I have a headache, and I don't need you two fighting! I'm going home..." she said as she walked off.

* * *

_USAGI'S POV_

"Ugh! I had such a bad day! Mrs. Tenohamu is such a witch! I should've said something to her... like: 'I would like to see you write this over again!' or 'Hey, old hag, you're ugly!' Well, not very tough of me, but... I could come up with something better. Oh... and what's my mom going to say when she sees what I got on my History test! In that case, I'm slowing down my pace..." All of a sudden, Usagi noticed something move in a nearby bush. She looked over at the bush to see who... or what it was.

"_What if it's a murderer who only goes after eleven-year-old girls?! What if it's a mummy that came from the dead and only seeks revenge on eleven-year-old girls?! Ah! So many possibilities! So many evil thoughts! Just go, Usagi!"_

And with that, Usagi went behind the bush to see what was making all the ruckus. She gasped. "It's a kitty!" she picked it up. The cat was a black-ish color with a crescent spot on its forehead. It stared at her blankly. "Awww! It's so cute! Hey, that's weird. I've never seen a cat with a crescent bald spot on its head..." she shrugged. "Maybe it's a new species!"

Suddenly, the cat jumped out of Usagi's grasp and ran off.

Usagi pouted. "That was way too weird... But... for some reason I feel like I'll see that cat again... Ah, who am I kidding? I can't wait to go home and have a snack! And maybe my mom forgot about the History test already! Yeah, yeah! I'll just pretend that nothing happened!"

As Usagi walked off, the mysterious cat was still watching her. _"This girl... There's something about her. I might see her again someday... What a strange feeling..."_

**A/N: Heyy! Surprise, surprise! Let me know what you thought of this chapter. Is it a good idea to at least introduce Luna and Artemis? (Don't worry, she's not going to turn into Sailor Moon at the age of eleven! That will ruin Naoko's whole plot!) But just let me know if I should keep that whole Luna part, and let me know if I should put a little something about Artemis... 'cause I don't know if I should... I need your help! Thanks!**


	12. The Talent Show

**A/N: Heyy! Thanks for all your wonderful reviews Thank you Sailor Violin for letting me know about that whole Luna part! Thanks a lot! Here's the next chappie!

* * *

**

"Hey, hey guys," Usagi began. "I saw this really weird cat yesterday when I was walking home from school. It had a crescent bald spot on its forehead. It was so weird! And then it just randomly ran away."

"A crescent bald spot?" Ami asked. "That's strange."

"Tell me about it!" Usagi exclaimed.

"Not to change this cat conversation but... where's Minako? Is she late again?" Makoto asked.

"Oh, please," Rei rolled her eyes. "She's the queen of tardiness."

"Speak of the devil," Usagi said as she saw Minako come running towards the five friends.

"Guys, guys, guys! Guess what?!" Minako cried. "Look! Look at this flyer!"

Rei was the first to look at the flyer. Her eyes scanned the paper. "... 'A Talent Show'? Well, count me out."

"Rei-chan! Why not?" Minako pouted.

"Because I hate talent shows. I'm not good at anything."

"That's not true! You're good at a lot of things!" Minako protested.

"Like what?" Rei asked.

"Well... you're good at... singing!" Minako beamed. "Yeah! We both can sing in the talent show! Because I want to sing really badly!"

"No," Rei simply said. "I'm not singing anything. I'm not going to _do_ anything in the talent show, because I'm not going to be in it!"

"Please?" Minako pleaded.

"No."

"Please?"

"Nope."

"_Please_?"

"Ugh! For the love of God, Minako! I'm not going to be in it! And that's final!" Rei snapped.

Minako pouted. "You're so stubborn, Rei-chan!" she sighed. "Does anyone _else_ want to be in it?" she asked, glaring at Rei.

"Hey, Hey, Rei-chan, let me see the flyer!" Usagi said as she grabbed the paper from Rei. "This looks so cool! I want to be in it!"

"Really? Awesome! Now I won't be alone! What do you want to do?" Minako asked.

Usagi put her index finger on her chin and pondered. "Hmmm... I don't know..."

Minako sweat dropped. "Usagi-chan! Today's already Wednesday, and you have to be ready on Friday. That's when the show is!"

"But...! I don't know what I'm good at!" Usagi pouted.

Minako sighed. "Usagi-chan... it's a _talent show_. You have to do something!"

"Well... Maybe I shouldn't be in it... I mean, I really don't know what I'm good at except video games," Usagi said.

"Eh?!" Minako cried. "Well... Ami-chan! What about you? You can show off your study skills!"

"I'm sorry, Minako-chan... But talent shows really aren't my... _thing_," Ami said as she looked down at the ground.

"Mako-chan?" Minako asked desperately.

Makoto shook her head. "I... really don't have anything special to show off."

"Naru-chan? Please?" Minako asked.

"Uh... I... really can't..." Naru said.

"Eh? Why not?" Minako asked.

"Well... I'm really not good at talent shows, anyway. Plus, I have absolutely nothing to show," Naru finished.

"Guys!" Minako pouted. "What do you guys do with your life? Sit and watch T.V all day? You have to do something!" Minako sighed. "Oh, well... I guess it's just me performing Friday."

"We're really sorry, Minako-chan," Usagi said.

Minako beamed. "It's OK! I can't wait!"

"There ya go! You'll do great!" Usagi reassured her.

"Thanks, everyone," Minako smiled.

**Thursday: November 18****th**** 11:45 pm: Lunch**

"Minako-chan! How's the practicing coming along?" Usagi asked as she took a huge bite of her sandwich.

"Ugh! Horrible! I can't get the melody right! And my voice cracks whenever I think about going up on that stage in front of all those people..." Minako said as she rubbed her temples.

"Just try not to think about it," Naru said. "Think positive."

"I try! I really do! But..." Minako trailed off.

"Take your time. No one's rushing you, Minako-chan. It's not like the show's today," Usagi said.

"I have to rush! I can't just whimsically brush this off, the show's tomorrow morning! I can't get it right..." Minako sighed.

"C'mon, Minako, you never act like this. When you fall, you get right back up again. This isn't like you," Makoto said.

"I know, Mako-chan! It's because... all those kids who are going to be performing... They really have talent. And I'm scared that... well... I really don't," Minako looked at the ground.

Rei slammed her fist on the table, which caused the five friends to become startled and look over at her. "What the hell are you talking about? You have talent, Minako-chan, how can you not realize that? You entered this show because you _do_ have talent. And the five of us can't even compare to you. To be honest with you... the reason I didn't want to be in the show was because I was too chicken to go up in front of all those people. But you're taking that chance and showing people that you do have talent, and you're not afraid to show it."

Minako stared at Rei for a while, completely and utterly appalled at what she had said. A grin suddenly crept on her face, reaching from ear to ear. Rei, realizing what she had said, blushed and looked away. Then she continued. "I mean... that was really cheesy but... you have talent, so... Don't get me mad by saying that you don't..."

Minako laughed. "Thank you, Rei-chan!"

Rei nodded. "Y... yeah, whatever."

**Friday: November 19****th**** 8:45 am: the Talent Show: Backstage**

The hustle and bustle of all the people made Minako have butterflies in her stomach. Today was the Talent Show, and she was nervous. _Very_ nervous. She sighed heavily as the certain slowly came up.

"_Stay clam, Minako. You can do this! And you can't screw this up! Your friends are counting on you to do a good job and have a positive attitude... OK... It's starting..." _Minako thought.

"Hello, and welcome to the school's very first Talent Show!" the principal announced. "Please make yourselves comfortable and enjoy the show!"

"_I'm number seven-teen, so I won't be on for a while. Oh... Kami... I'm so scared. Just think of something else... Not the show... Just calm down---" _

Minako's thoughts were interrupted when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to find Haruka and Michiru.

"Haruka-san! Michiru-san! You entered too?" Minako asked.

Michiru nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to play the violin and Haruka's going to play the piano. What will you be performing?"

"Oh! I'm going to sing..." Minako smiled weakly.

Michiru smiled. "How wonderful! You must have a beautiful voice!"

"Well... I suppose so..." Minako blushed. "Uh... so what numbers are you?"

"I'm number seven and Michiru's number eleven," Haruka said.

"Oh! You're really early, Haruka. You're lucky," Minako laughed.

Haruka smiled. "I guess it's good to get it over with."

"Number six, it's your turn," the principal said.

"We're already at number six? I better get ready," Haruka said. "Good luck, Minako."

"You too!" Minako said as she watched Michiru and Haruka walk away. _"How unexpected was that! I didn't know that they both entered the show. They must have a lot of talent!" _she thought.

An hour flew by and Minako was getting ready to head on stage. She bit her thumb nail nervously as she paced around the room.

"Number seven-teen! You're up!" the principal said.

"_Oh, God, help me! OK, just stay calm, stay calm..." _Minako said over and over again to herself.

Finally, she stepped on the stage. The lights dimmed and she held the microphone in her nervously shaking hand. "_OK, this is it, Minako. Sing the song. Sing like no one's watching!_" She looked in the audience and saw Usagi waving madly at her, the four other friends right next to her. Minako smiled to herself. Her friends were counting on her. She had to do this. "_Here I go_!" she thought. She began to sing her heart out. She closed her eyes as she sang. She thought about all her friends and how they are supporting her and counting on her to do the best she can. When she finally finished, everyone applauded for her. She looked over at her friends, who were beaming. Even Rei had the biggest smile on her face. Minako smiled. She had a great time.

* * *

"Alright, everyone!" the principal began. "I have decided who the winner of the Talent Show is! Congratulations to..."

Minako crossed her fingers. "_Please... please..._"

"... Haruka Tenou!" the principal announced with a huge smile on her face.

Minako sighed. "_Oh, well. There's always next time... Congratulations, Haruka-san_," she smiled to herself.

Haruka walked up to the principal and received a medal.

"Congratulations, Haruka! You got a gold medal and a no homework pass! What could be better than that?" the principal smiled.

"Thank you," Haruka returned the smile.

"Once again, congratulations Haruka. And thank you to all who participated in the Talent Show! Thank you!" the principal concluded.

And with that, the curtain fell and everyone came off stage. Minako came over to the five friends. "Hey, everyone!"

"Minako-chan! You did such a great job!" Usagi squeaked.

"Thanks!" Minako smiled.

"Don't worry, there's always next time to win. But I told you that you had talent!" Rei said.

Minako beamed. "I guess you're right, Rei-chan. But don't worry; you haven't heard the last of Aino Minako!"


	13. A Lost And Confused Field Trip

**A/N: Hey! How is everyone? Sorry about not updating in a while... A lot of stuff is going on... school, family, life... But anyway, here's chapter 13! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Friday: 2:20 p.m End of the day**

"Take your seats, everyone!" Mrs. Tenohamu screeched. "Next Wednesday, we will be going on a field trip to the _Basho Museum._ If you are not good this week, then we'll forget going to the Museum and stay here and read the whole day. So be good."

Usagi beamed. "Yes! We're finally going on a field trip! But why couldn't we have gone to a candy factory instead of a Museum?"

Makoto, who sat next to Usagi, chuckled. "Usagi, only you would think of going to a candy factory."

Mrs. Tenohamu continued. "You will need to bring your lunch because we're going to stay there the whole day."

"Double yes!" Usagi cheered. "This'll be awesome!"

* * *

"I can't believe that we're finally going on a field trip!" Minako said.

"I know, it took that old hag long enough," Usagi snorted.

Minako gasped. "Oh, Mako-chan! I have a _perfect_ idea!"

Makoto gave Minako a puzzled look. "For what?"

"You and Motoki-kun!"

Makoto blushed and looked down at the ground. "You... you really don't have to worry about that..."

"Yes I do! You and Motoki need more chemistry. _So_..." Minako's bright blonde eyebrows shifted up and down. "You two are going to sit together on the bus when we go up to the Museum."

Makoto's eyes bulged. "Wh... what?! No, no, no! That's way too... weird..."

"Why?"

"Well... it's just awkward. We don't have anything to say," Makoto sighed. "But I do want to sit next to him I guess..."

"Then do it! He's not going to kill you! He's _crazy_ about you, Mako-chan!" Minako smiled.

"I don't know..." Makoto contemplated.

"C'mon! It'll be so cute!" Minako begged.

Makoto sighed. "Fine. I will."

Minako shot her hand up. "Yes! Mission Mako-chan and Motoki-kun complete!"

"What about _Usagi_?" Makoto smirked.

Usagi blinked. "What? What did I do?"

Minako grinned. "Oh, yes... Usagi-chan..."

"What? What am I missing?!" Usagi cried.

"You and Mamoru are going to sit together," Minako giggled.

"Sit together? Where?" Usagi asked; head tilted slightly to the side.

Rei clasped her hand over her forehead. "On the bus, you meatball-headed fool!"

"Oh! Well... I really don't know..." Usagi pouted.

"C'mon, Usagi. If I'm doing it, then you do it too. I don't want to be alone in this situation," Makoto said.

"Well, OK! It won't be so bad! Besides, Mamo-chan likes me!" Usagi smiled.

"Great! Make sure you ask them to sit next to you, got it?" Minako asked.

"Obviously, they have to ask them," Rei said.

"I know, Rei-chan! I was just making sure with them!" Minako rolled her eyes.

Rei crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Whatever."

"Rei-chan! You should be happy! We're gonna go on a field trip!" Minako chirped.

"I know," Rei said flatly.

Minako made a face at her. "Don't be so grumpy all your life! Who are you going to sit next to on the bus?"

Rei shrugged.

"So you can sit next to me!" Minako beamed.

"Great," Rei said sarcastically.

**Wednesday: 8:15 a.m School yard **

"Go, Mako-chan!" Minako commanded as she gave her a little push.

"Wait! I'm not ready!" Makoto snapped. "What do I say to him?"

Minako sighed. "Just say: 'would you like to sit in the bus with me?' That's it!"

Makoto hesitated. "O... OK."

A very nervous Makoto was in search of Motoki. Since an upbeat and match-making Minako consistently begged her to ask him, Makoto was forced into doing so. Her eyes scanned the yard until she finally found him. She cautiously approached him.

"M... Motoki-kun?" she asked.

Motoki slowly turned around to find a nervously trembling Makoto. "Hey, Mako-chan! What's up?"

"Uh... Well... You know the field trip is today... and... I was wondering if you would... sit on the bus... with... me..." she looked up at him.

Motoki blinked and then warmly smiled. "Sure I will! I was planning on asking you anyway."

Makoto blushed. "Really? Thank you. I'll... I'll see you on the bus, then!"

Motoki nodded. "Yep! See ya, Mako-chan!"

With a final wave, Makoto ran back over to Minako.

"Well? What happened?" Minako asked anxiously.

"He's... sitting with me," Makoto grinned as she saw Minako's expression.

"Really?! Awesome! Ah! My plan worked! I'm so happy! Woohoo!" Minako cheered. "Now it's time for Usagi."

Minako happily skipped over to Usagi, who was talking to Naru, Ami, and Rei.

"Usagi-chan!" Minako called as she motioned her to come over to her.

"Yeah? What's the matter?" Usagi asked.

"You have to ask Mamoru for the bus... thing," Minako said.

Usagi smiled. "Oh yeah! I can't wait!"

"Hurry and ask him, because the bell is going to ring in any second!" Makoto said.

Usagi nodded and ran over to Mamoru. She lightly tapped him on the shoulder.

"Mamo-chan?" she asked.

Mamoru smiled. "Oh! Hey, Usagi. What's up?"

"Uh... I was wondering if you would like to sit on the bus with me on the way to the Museum..." Usagi asked, turning a crimson color.

"Yeah! I'll sit with you. I wanted to, anyway," Mamoru said.

Usagi beamed. "Thanks, Mamoru."

**9:30 a.m: On the bus**

"Look how cute they are!" Minako cooed. She and Rei were sitting a few seats away from Makoto and Usagi. It was a perfect spot to watch both of them... well, at least Minako was.

Rei rolled her eyes. "You shouldn't be stalking them, Minako."

"I'm not stalking them, Rei-chan!" Minako hissed. "I'm just simply... watching them intently."

Rei sighed. "Why do have this strange feeling that those words you just said mean the same thing as the word _stalking_?"

Minako held her index finger on her lips. "Shhh! I'm trying to hear what they're saying to each other! And F.Y.I, it's hard enough balancing both couples at the same time! So you should be helping me instead of complaining, Rei-chan!"

"Couples?" Rei asked.

Minako pouted. "Of course. What else would they be?"

"They..." Rei paused. "That doesn't matter right now! You need to give them space! Don't just keep watching them, or they'll feel even more awkward then they already feel. Especially Makoto, not so much Usagi."

Minako nodded slowly. "I guess you're right. But no matter what I do, I still can't hear what they're saying. I wonder how they're doing..."

Motoki cleared his throat. "So... anything new?"

"Uh... no. What about you?" Makoto asked, fiddling with her fingers.

Motoki shook his head. "No... not at all." He glanced up at Makoto. "You know, Mako-chan, you're really feminine and you have such a great personality. Your parents must be really proud of you."

Makoto looked at the ground. "My parents... died."

Motoki's eyes widened. "I'm so sorry, Mako-chan... I didn't know--"

"It's OK," Makoto interrupted. "It's... OK. I'm fine."

Motoki looked away. "I... I don't mean to put myself in your shoes, but I kinda know a little bit how you feel. My parents really aren't around that much for me. Work, work, work. But I tell myself that they're doing this for me. They're working hard... for me. And sometimes I wish that they would just stop for one minute... just to spend some time with me, y'know?"

Makoto stared at Motoki for a brief moment, absorbing everything he had said. Finally, she mustered up an answer. "No one said life would be easy, Motoki-kun. Life works in mysterious ways. Sometimes it's good, and sometimes it's bad. We... really can't help it."

Motoki smiled. "You're right."

Makoto snorted. "And as for that feminine theory... Listen, I _know_ I'm not feminine. I love sports and I'm just a real tomboy."

"But a girl can love sports and be a tomboy," Motoki said.

"I'm not saying that a girl can't love sports, but a feminine girl can't. They're too busy worrying about not dirtying their dresses if they ever _did _play a sport. It just doesn't work that way. I'm just not feminine, Motoki." Makoto said, eyes scanning Motoki.

Motoki looked away and nodded slowly. "O... OK. That's fine. I just wanted to help. But Mako-chan," Motoki looked up at Makoto. "You really are feminine to me."

There was an awkward silence between Mamoru and Usagi. No one spoke. It was silent. Usagi was busy looking out the window, and occasionally glancing over at Mamoru. Mamoru, on the other hand, was nervously tapping his index finger on his lap. He tried to start a conversation, but it would end up not lasting for very long. This time, Usagi tried to start a conversation.

"So... what kind of video games do you like?" Usagi asked.

"Oh...! Uh... I like the action-type ones, with a lot of adventure in it. What about you?"

Usagi held her index finger to her chin. "I like the same as you, a lot of action. But I also like it with a hint of romance. You know what I mean?"

Mamoru nodded. "Yeah, me too."

Once again, it was silent. It was back to the original routine: Usagi staring at the window, Mamoru tapping his finger on his leg.

"_What should I say to him? I tried asking about video games... that really didn't work out as planned... I'll keep trying!_" Usagi thought triumphantly.

She cleared her throat. "Remember when we were in Kindergarten?"

Mamoru, surprised at what Usagi had brought up, stared blankly at her.

"Uh... yeah. Of course I do. Why?"

Usagi blinked. "Well, I just thought that it would be a funny conversation. Like how we were 'boyfriend and girlfriend.' C'mon. That was funny."

Mamoru chuckled at the thought. "Yeah, I remember. We had some good memories in Kindergarten."

Usagi nodded. "I can't believe we're already in middle school. It seems like just yesterday we had our first day of Kindergarten, and now we're here in middle school. Time flies just flies."

Mamoru sighed. "You're right, Usagi. Sometimes you just want it to stop, y'know? Just for a minute. But it doesn't."

Usagi smiled. "Ah, but let's talk about something good, shall we? Like... oh! Today's already Wednesday, which means that we only have two more days of torture from Mrs. Tenohamu!"

Mamoru laughed. "That's true. I'll look forward to that, Usagi."

"I wonder how everything's going..." Naru pouted. Ami, who sat next to her, nodded in agreement.

"I know... we haven't heard anything. Not even from Minako, she usually informs us about everything," Ami said.

Naru sighed. "No one told us anything... I hope Usagi and Makoto are handling the 'double date' thing OK."

"Double date?" Ami asked.

"Well, yeah! Mako-chan is with Motoki and Usagi-chan is with Mamoru. It's a double date!" Naru exclaimed.

"I think a double date is when... you're _really _dating someone. And then you go with one of your friends with _their_ date. I... don't think Usagi and Makoto are dating... yet... hopefully," Ami blushed.

Naru laughed. "Of course they're not dating! I was kidding the whole time, Ami-chan! I never knew you were so gullible."

Ami blinked. "Oh! I didn't know. I'm not that gullible... I guess."

* * *

About a half-hour later, the bus finally stopped at their destination. There in front of the six friends stood the _Basho Museum. _It was a huge building, bigger than the six friends have ever seen.

"If the outside is big, imagine the inside!" Naru exclaimed.

Minako rolled her eyes. "Let's not talk about a museum right now; what I want to know is how the _bus ride_ was..."

Usagi smiled. "It was awesome! Mamo-chan and I talked about a lot of stuff! I loved it..."

"What about you, Mako-chan?" Ami asked.

"Oh...! It was... fine. Whatever." Makoto said simply.

Minako pouted. "'It was fine?' That's it? _Fine_? Why was it just fine?"

"I don't know, Minako," Makoto said with a tone of annoyance in her voice.

Minako opened her mouth to protest until Mrs. Tenohamu interrupted.

"Listen up, everyone! We're entering a very precious and delicate building. _Do not_ touch anything, or you will stay after school with me."

With Mrs. Tenohamu's final words, they finally entered the building. The six friends' eyes scanned the art and ancient materials that lay everywhere in the huge building.

"Wow... this is way too amazing..." Ami said.

Makoto chuckled. "This is right up Ami's ally."

Rei laughed. "I'll say. You should've seen her face when we went past the Roman section."

"OK, quiet down. I'm going to take attendance to make sure everyone's here," Mrs. Tenohamu said. "Minako?"

"Here!" Minako chirped.

"Kakeru Ayaka?"

"Here."

The list continued all the way down to the letter T.

"And... Usagi?"

Silence.

"Usagi?!"

Silence.

"Where is Miss Tsukino?" Mrs. Tenohamu asked frantically.

Rei whirled around. "Where is that meat-ball headed fool?"

"I have no idea. She was with us a minute ago," Naru said.

Ami frowned. "She must've gone into the wrong section. Where are we now?"

"Egypt," Makoto said.

"She must have stayed in Greece because that was our first location. I remember her still looking around in there. I thought she would ketch up, but..." Ami trailed off.

"She should be here by now, though," Naru said.

Rei rolled her eyes. "You know Usagi! She probably went in the wrong section!"

"Don't worry... she'll ketch up with us," Minako said. "Hopefully."

**In the Roman section...**

"Hello? Minako-chan? Rei-chan? Ami-chan? Anyone? Are you guys here? Hello?" cried a very lost and confused Usagi. She was now in the Roman section... well, lost. And let's face the fact: she was scared. Who wouldn't be?

"I must have lost track of time in the Greece section... But we were all there a minute ago! How could we have gone past Greece so quickly?" Usagi bit her thumb nail nervously. "Don't worry, Usagi! They'll come and get you soon! Just... wait here... in this dark, scary Roman place..." she glanced over to her right. And right in front of her stood a wax life-looking figure of Alexander The Great with his sword in his right hand and a spear in the left. He didn't look too friendly...

Usagi's eyes bulged out of her sockets. "Oh... my... God... REI-CHAN! AMI-CHAN! MAKO-CHAN! MINAKO-CHAN! NARU-CHAN! HELP ME!"


	14. I'm Burnin' Can't You See?

A/N: Heyyy

**A/N: Heyyy! Here's the next chappie And before you read, I would like to mention that in chapter 13 with the bus scene: In fifth grade, all my friends were nagging me to ask my crush to sit on the bus with him! XD So that's where I got the idea from haha! I will never forget that time, man... But anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**The **_**Basho Museum**_**: 10:30 am. Ancient China **

It has been an hour, and no one had seemed to have found Usagi anywhere. And Usagi was still... lost. She was finally out of the Roman section, and now she was in Ancient China.

"Where am I now? China?" Usagi asked herself. "I still don't know where everyone else is, though! Where are they?" Usagi walked around in the Ancient China section aimlessly. She didn't know if she should've stayed where she was originally, or she should keep moving and find her class. But she decided to keep looking. She came across a dark room in Ancient China that made her very curious, so she went in. And inside was no other than a giant Buddha. Usagi's jaw hung open.

"That's one fat guy," she stated before she finally left Ancient China.

* * *

"She still isn't here!" Rei cried as she tapped her foot impatiently on the hard marble floor. They were in the Medieval section of the museum, and still no sight of Usagi.

Rei sighed. "What are we going to do with her? What if she doesn't even show up?"

"OK, OK, OK don't panic! That makes matters worse! Let's just... think positive!" Minako said.

"Think positive? That's what we're been doing for the past _hour_! I'm done with that! I'm just going to go look for her myself!" Rei said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"You can't do that, Rei! Then you will get lost in this huge mystery dungeon, too!" Naru said.

"As long as I find that bone-headed meat-ball head, then yes! I'm willing to take that chance!" Rei sighed and continued. "Is anyone else coming?"

Makoto blinked. "Anyone _else_? That's crazy! If anymore of us leaves, we'll never get out of here! We'll be lost in this maze forever!"

"I don't think it's that bad..." Ami mumbled.

"Well," Minako began. "I'm with Rei-chan on this. I'm always up for adventure! And I bet we'll find Usagi in no time."

Naru nodded. "Yeah... you're right. I guess I'll go too. I'm sure with all of us looking, we'll find her."

"I want to explore the museum a lot more! We've been in the same section for hours! I'm going," Ami smiled.

Naru smirked. "Wow, Ami-chan. You're coming out of your shell."

Ami blushed. "Y... yeah, I guess. I just want to get Usagi-chan back..."

Makoto sighed. "Now you all are crazy. But... I guess I'll go. Let's just hurry up and find Usagi so we can make it for lunch before Mrs. Tenohamu realizes we're gone."

Rei bit her bottom lip. "Crap... I forgot about lunch... What time is it now?"

"Uh..." Minako checked her watch. "Ten forty-two. We have lunch at quarter past twelve, so... we should have a good amount of time."

Naru nodded. "That should work. We should get going now before it gets any later."

"Should we split up?" Ami asked.

The four friends stared at Ami blankly.

"No!" they said simultaneously.

* * *

Usagi sighed. She was tired, upset, and most importantly: _hungry. _And when Tsukino Usagi was hungry, there was no helping it.

She groaned. "I'm so hungry! And my mom didn't pack me a snack to eat! Oh, man. What should I do...?" she said as she rubbed her stomach. But time passed and soon she was in the Medieval section.

"Where am I now?" Usagi asked herself. She noticed a knight on the right of her and on the left was a glass case filled with what looked like kings clothes.

"I must be in the Medieval Times. Cool!" Usagi squeaked. She wandered through the section for a while... anything to get her mind off food.

* * *

"So... where the heck are we?" asked a very confused Naru.

"Ancient China," Ami said. "Usagi-chan should be in here..."

"We weren't even that very far from Ancient China. The Medieval Times was across from here. We probably would've seen Usagi if she was in here," Rei said.

Minako nodded. "That's true. So we should keep looking. Let's go to our first location which was Greece."

So the five friends went down to Greece in search for Usagi. When they finally arrived, they looked around in hopes of finding her.

"Any sign of her?" Makoto asked.

"No... But there's a huge statue of Aphrodite over here. She's so pretty!" Minako squealed.

Rei rolled her eyes. "We're not here to look at a stupid statue of a Greek goddess, Minako. C'mon, let's try Egypt."

* * *

"_Now_ where am I?" Usagi pouted. She looked around in the dark room. She walked forward, hoping to find a clue as to where she was. But there defiantly was a clue as to where she was. There in front of her stood a mummy case... with a real live mummy inside. At that point, Usagi knew she was in Egypt. But knowing where she was didn't help her from screaming...

"AHHH! M-- M-- M-- MUMMY!" she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She was so busy running, that she collided into someone.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she squeaked.

"Usagi-chan?" said a voice.

"Rei-chan?" Usagi asked in a puzzled tone.

"Usagi-chan?"

"Ami-chan?"

"Usagi-chan?"

"Minako-chan?"

"Usagi-chan?"

"Naru-chan?"

"STOP!" Rei cried. "We're all here, right?"

Nods and mumbles confirmed the question.

"Good. Well, at least we finally found you," Rei said. "Well, even if we didn't see you, we could definitely hear you."

Usagi pouted. "Rei-chan! That mummy was really scary!"

"Uh-oh!" Minako said as she stared down at her watch. "We lost track of time, it's eleven forty! We have to hurry before lunch starts!"

"C'mon! We have to hurry!" Makoto cried.

* * *

Eleven forty-four, and the six friends had made it. They casually walked over with their class, pretending that they never had left.

"I'm taking attendance to make sure everyone is here!" Mrs. Tenohamu said.

Naru sighed a sigh of relief. "We just made it."

"This was such a fun field trip! I can't wait to go to another!" Usagi smiled.

"It better be a place where _you_ won't get lost. Because I'm so not doing this again," Rei said.

Minako snorted. "Says the one who thought of the idea in the first place."

Rei rolled her eyes. "It was a one time only thing!"

"But you thought of it, Rei-chan," Minako said.

"That doesn't matter! I'm still not going to do it again. We almost got caught by that ugly witch," Rei said.

Ami nodded. "Yeah, next time we should all stick together. I mean, just in case... this happens again."

"Right, right," Naru agreed. "We're gonna have to keep a close eye on you, Usagi-chan."

Usagi pouted. "I'm not in Kindergarten anymore, guys!"

"Really? You aren't? Well, I'm slow. I didn't even know that," Rei joked.

"Rei-chan! You're so mean!" Usagi said.

Rei laughed. "I couldn't resist it, Usagi."

* * *

_REI'S POV_

The field trip finally ended. With _everyone_ with the class, they went back on the bus and back to school. When they finally arrived, it was already two o'clock, so they only had a half hour left of school. But Rei had to say, despite Usagi losing her way in the big museum, she had a great time. Even Mrs. Tenohamu must have eaten a 'happy pill' today because she let the kids have extra recess instead of giving them an assignment to work on. The class was very surprised at this, for Mrs. Tenohamu _never_ gives them extra recess. At around two-twenty, Mrs. Tenohamu rang the bell and let them go down to their lockers and head home. After many good-byes and hugs, Hino Rei was out the door. She arrived at the temple at around two forty-five; her usual time. She began to walk up the many steps and expected to see her Grandpa smiling happily as she came up every step. But today was different. Much more different than what Rei had expected. Instead of a smiling, happy Grandpa standing there, there was a stern, suited man standing there. Was he waiting for someone? Did he have the wrong temple? Many questions raced through Rei's mind. But this man in particular looked familiar to her. When she finally made it up the many flights of stairs, she got a good look at him. He starred back at her. And right there and then, Rei knew _exactly_ who he was. It was her father.

She blinked. "Papa?" was all she could muster out.

He slowly approached her. "Hello Rei. It's... been a while."

"A while? More like a freakin' year!" Rei spat.

"Watch your mouth," Mr. Hino said, eyes fixed on Rei. "Where do I suppose you learned that foul language? Your friends at school?"

"Don't drag them into this." Rei growled. "Why are you here? Where's Grandpa?"

"That's why I'm here. The hospital called me... Your Grandpa's in the hospital, Rei. They called me at around noon. He... just had a little accident. A broken arm to be specific. They said he should be out in a few weeks or so," Mr. Hino said as his eyes trailed to the floor.

"Hold on, you're not telling me anything! Do you expect me to know everything? How did his arm break?" Rei asked, voice rising in every word she said.

"He fell."

"_How_?! How did he freakin' fall?!" Rei screamed.

"Don't you dare yell at me, Rei. You're not a grown woman, you're a child." He sighed and continued. "He was trying to sweep the steps. And he... lost his balance and he fell. He's lucky all he has is a broken arm and a few stitches."

"Did you visit him?" Rei asked.

Mr. Hino looked down at the ground. "No. I was busy with--"

"Work," Rei finished. "This reminds me of the time when Mama died. Work was more important than Mama... Work... is all you cared about. That's why I'm at this temple. You left me here. You didn't even go to see Mama in her time of need! Now this could be Grandpa's time of need, and you're--"

"Don't you say that about your Grandpa! This is not his time to leave us, Rei! Don't jump to conclusions!" Mr. Hino cried.

"I'm not the one who regrets their past, Papa," Rei growled. "You know you should've been there with Mama. You should have been there with _me_ and said that it would be okay! And now you're here, telling me that Grandpa's in the hospital, without an inch of emotion on your face! How... dare you!" Rei yelled. "Go away!" she cried before she ran off in the temple, only to cry and worry about Grandpa Hino.

**A/N: Awhh! Poor little Rei! :- Kind of a sad little chapter, huh? Lemme know what you think, guys! What's gonna happen? Find out in the next chappie :-**


	15. Don't Do Sadness

**A/N: Hey! What's up, people? He-he Thanks for all your wonderful reviews. The fic is going well, ya think? Ah, another sad chappie... enjoy!**

* * *

"So the angle is ABC, not DEF, got it?" Ami asked. She was trying to help a very confused Usagi with her math homework. The six friends were at Usagi's house on a Wednesday afternoon studying and helping each other with their homework. Usagi, who still was extremely confused, stared blankly at Ami. "No, I still don't get it," she said sadly.

Ami sighed. "That's okay, it takes patience, right? So, let's try it again..."

On the other side of the table, Makoto was trying to explain to Naru how an octagon has eight sides, not seven. And finally, we head down to Rei and Minako, who were minding their own business. Rei was doing her science homework, while Minako was busy trying to balance her pencil on her lip... But she was supposed to be working on her social studies homework. But Minako wasn't the only one who wasn't focused. Rei was actually just starring at her homework, not even picking up her pen once to start writing. She was thinking about Grandpa Hino, who still wasn't out of the hospital. Of course Rei hadn't told anyone about the whole incident... yet.

"_Should I tell Minako? I mean, she's really the only one who knows about Grandpa more than anyone else... Like that time he had the flu and I was really upset. But she understood. Ah, I don't know... Maybe I should just keep it to myself... since it also involves my stupid father... But then again--"_

"Yoohoo! Rei-chan! Earth to Rei-chan!" Usagi called.

Rei blinked. "Uh... yeah? What's up?"

"You were kinda in another world, there," Naru said.

"Oh...! Was I? I didn't realize it... Sorry," she cleared her throat. "So, what was I doing?"

"Science," Minako said, still trying to balance the pencil on her lip. But it came out more like: "Shienceee,"

"Oh... right," Rei said. She glanced down at her homework paper. She sighed, realizing that she didn't even write anything down. Then she looked over at the clock, which read five forty-seven.

"Uh..." she began. "I'm just gonna go home, okay?"

"Eh? What about your homework? And we have a huge social studies test tomorrow!" Usagi cried.

"That's okay, I can handle everything myself," she looked down at the ground. "I've been doing that for the past eleven years..." she mumbled.

"What?" Usagi asked.

"Nothing," Rei smiled weakly. "Nothing at all. See ya tomorrow, guys."

"O... okay, then. Bye," Usagi frowned. "Does anyone know what's wrong with her? She hasn't been... herself lately."

Naru sighed. "Maybe she just had an off day today. It happens to everyone."

"_I hope Rei's okay... It can't be because of her grandpa again, can it? I don't know, I shouldn't ask. I should just give her space..._" Minako thought.

* * *

It was the end of yet another boring day of school for the six friends. Mrs. Tenohamu was passing out their tests they took in social studies that morning.

"God, Mr. Tsujai is such a fast grader! He's like a freakin' grading machine!" Minako said to Rei, who sat next to her.

"Yeah," Rei replied flatly.

"I mean, what teacher can grade that fast? I know not Mrs. Tenohamu; she goes as fast as a turtle,"

"Yeah."

Minako's eyes narrowed. "ItseemssolongsinceIcouldsaysistersusysittingonathisle."

"...Yeah."

Minako sighed. "Rei, are you even listening to me?"

"...Yeah."

Minako pouted. "Rei-chan, are you okay?"

"Huh?" Rei blinked.

"You've been out of it lately. Are you okay?"

Rei nodded. "Yeah! Of course... Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, I just thought it was about your--" Mrs. Tenohamu slapped Minako's test on her desk.

"What do you call this grade, Miss Aino?" she asked, eyebrow rising.

Minako starred blankly at her sixty-five she got on her test. She sighed. "A miserable failing grade, Sensei."

Mrs. Tenohamu sighed. "Work harder next time. Here's your paper, Miss Hino," she said as she handed Rei her test.

Rei starred at her very first failing grade of the school year. She frowned. "_I can't believe I failed this freakin' test. I thought I studied well enough..._"

"Better luck next time, girls," Mrs. Tenohamu smirked.

Minako bit her bottom lip. "My mom's gonna kill me when she sees this..." she glanced over at Rei, who was still starring at her test with a scowl. "Rei-chan?"

"What?" she mumbled.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Just asking. Because you know that your friends are always here for you, right?"

"Yes."

"Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"..."

"Huh?"

"I don't know."

"You're not sure? It's a simple yes or no question, Rei-chan."

"No, then."

"Okay. Just wondering."

With the simple conversation over, Minako looked down at her desk, still wondering if there was something wrong.

* * *

"So what did you get on your test?" Naru asked. "I got an eight-nine."

"Eight-five," Makoto said. "I could've done better, I guess..."

"I got a fifty-nine..." Usagi said sadly. "I'm so dead when I go home..."

"Sixty-five," Minako announced. "I'm with you, Usagi-chan. I'm gonna have a week of no video games."

"I got a one hundred and five on mine," Ami smiled. Realizing that the four other friends were starring at her in awe, she blushed and looked away. "I mean... well... I got the bonus right and it was an extra five points... so..."

Usagi sighed. "You're so lucky, Ami-chan. What about you, Rei-chan?"

Rei frowned. "Sixty," was all she said.

Usagi blinked. "Eh? You failed too? Really? That's so... not like you!"

"Tell me about it," Rei replied.

"I mean, this whole week you haven't been yourself. It's like you got a new personality or something. You're really starting to creep me out," Usagi said.

"Usagi!" Minako hissed.

"What?" Usagi asked in a puzzled tone.

"Y'know what, Usagi? You're right. I'm not myself. But have you ever come to the fact that my life isn't easy at all? Have you? I guess not, because you really don't seem to have a clue what's going on in my life. And I bet you couldn't even live one day in my shoes. So yes, I guess I'm not myself. I'm just... not okay," Rei held back her tears that were forming in her eyes.

Usagi blinked. "Rei-chan..."

"Never mind... just forget what I said... Forget it..." Rei said before she ran off.

"Wait-- Rei, come back!" Minako cried. She, too, ran after her.

Usagi pouted. "Was it something I said?"

* * *

"Rei!" Minako finally caught up with the panting girl who looked back at her.

"Why the hell did you follow me?" Rei snapped.

"You said it yourself! You're not okay! I knew you weren't, ever since Wednesday. If you want, I'm all ears. You can just tell me what happened--"

"This is what I hate, Minako. You want me to confide to you and to start crying like I'm on the freakin' Oprah show! It's bad enough I told you about that time when Grandpa had that bad flu, and now he's in the hospital--"

"He's in the hospital?" Minako gasped.

Rei cursed under her breath. "Fine, you know now. Can you please leave me alone?"

Minako sighed. "I... But... Are you... okay? Who's watching you? Who's taking care of you?"

Rei paused. "No one."

"But...! We're all here, Rei! You have friends that care about you! We want to help!" Minako cried.

"But you guys just can't get too involved in things like this! I... didn't even want to tell you about Grandpa in the first place. And if I ever told Usagi, she'll be up my ass!"

"Who do you think we are, Rei? All we want to do is help! We're not trying to be a pain! I noticed how you were acting on Wednesday, and at first I was going to ask if you were okay, but I didn't want to be a burden."

"Well, you're being a burden now!" Rei spat.

Minako's eyebrows furrowed and she was about to speak up until a car pulled over in front of Rei and Minako.

"What the...?" Minako questioned.

And once again, Mr. Hino stepped out of the car and approached Rei.

"Not again..." Rei growled.

"Rei, who is he...?" Minako asked.

Rei ignored Minako's question and starred right back at Mr. Hino.

"Rei..." Mr. Hino said softly. "C'mon, why don't you just come and have dinner with your papa?"

"_Papa_?" Minako thought. "_I've never seen Rei's papa before_."

"No," Rei said simply. "I won't go. I suppose you haven't even seen grandpa yet, am I right?"

Mr. Hino sighed. "You know, Rei. I'm very busy and I just can't seem to find the time to stop and visit him."

"But you're here wasting time with me! Why not just go and see him! I can't visit him because I don't have a freakin' car! Think of him, Papa. For once think about someone other than _yourself_!"

Mr. Hino's fists clenched, but he managed to control his temper. "Rei, please, just come with me. Tomorrow we'll see grandpa. Just come and have dinner with me. And if you want you can stay at my apartment so someone is taking care of you, please."

Rei shook her head. "I'm waiting for grandpa to come back... I would never go with you. Ever since Mama died, I have no more meaning to you. You... you're a scum!"

"Don't you dare use that foul language with me, young lady! I'm your father and I am a part of your life! How dare you say that to me!" Mr. Hino cried.

"Don't yell at her...!" came a small, but firm voice. Mr. Hino turned around to find Minako standing there with her fists clenched and eyebrows furrowed.

"Excuse me?" he asked. "What did you say?"

Minako gulped; afraid if she spoke again Mr. Hino will have her head and frame it on his wall as a decoration. "I... I said... don't yell at her... she... doesn't need to be treated like that...!" Minako said, legs shaking.

Mr. Hino smirked. He was not going to let a scared little girl tell him what to do. He bent down so he was face-to-face with Minako. "Listen, little girl, I don't know who you are or why you're here, but this doesn't concern you, got it?"

"Don't listen to him, Minako. Just don't bother sinking to his level," Rei remarked.

Minako didn't even realize she was holding her breath the whole time. She finally managed to breathe when Mr. Hino straightened up and looked over at Rei. Minako didn't know how Rei did it. No matter how Mr. Hino looked at her, she would keep the same scowl on her face the whole time. If Minako was Rei, she would've been crying by now.

Mr. Hino sighed. "Y'know what Rei? I'm done. I've tried everything with you. Nothing's working. Live by yourself for the rest of your life if you want. I can't seem to help you anymore. No matter what I do, I just can't seem to make you listen to me. So I guess that's it, then," he walked over to his car and opened the door. The he paused and looked over at Rei one last time and spoke up:

"If you ever need me, feel free to call. I'll be in my office," and with that, Mr. Hino stepped in his car and drove away. Minako bit her bottom lip and looked over at Rei.

"Uh... so... he's really nice," Minako smiled weakly.

But Rei still had the same scowl on her face that she had on the whole time with her father. She didn't move. She didn't say anything.

"Rei-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you okay?"

Rei looked over at Minako. "Y'know what? He's a drama king, okay? He throws everything out of proportion. So I'm glad we ended it like that. He deserved it."

"But... where are you going to live?" Minako asked.

Rei sighed. "Here. Until grandpa gets back, I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me."

"But... no offense... you failed that social studies test maybe because... you _weren't _okay. So if you want, you can stay with me. I'll ask my mom, I'm sure she'll let you stay," Minako smiled.

Rei grinned at her friend's request. "Nah, it's okay. He'll be out of the hospital any day, anyway. I'm okay. Thanks, though."

"You're welcome," Minako sighed. "Well, I better get going... I have to face the wrath of my mom when I go home so, wish me luck!"

Rei laughed. "Okay, see ya tomorrow."

Minako waved. "Ja-ne. Oh!" she turned around and faced Rei's direction. "If you need anything, just gimme a little buzz, okay?"

Rei smiled. "Sure, thanks. And..." Rei began. "I'm sorry about my father... I didn't mean for you to get in trouble by him."

Minako shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Rei. It's totally fine."

"And uh...can you... just keep this a little secret? Please don't tell anyone... especially Usagi, because she might be too worried about me, y'know? She kinda... gets like that a lot." Rei explained.

Minako grinned. "No problem. I'll see you tomorrow, Rei-chan."

Rei waved. "Bye."

And with that, Minako skipped away happily off in the distance. That's what Rei hated. _Skipped_. How can she always be so bubbly and happy even when she's going to get an ear-full from her mom? How can she just be so happy? Rei sighed and began walking up the many flights of stairs. She went in her room and shut the door. She was alone. At that point, she began to rethink the conversation, or argument she had with her father.

"_If you ever need me, feel free to call. I'll be in my office..."_

Rei shook that thought away. She didn't want to see nor hear him. But then again, she was all alone. She needed someone to run to when she was upset. She needed someone to care for her when she was sick. She needed her mother. She just someone to run to for help.

"_If you need anything, just gimme a little buzz, okay?"_

Rei paused. Maybe there was someone to help her. Maybe there were _many _people that could help her. _Her friends_. But Rei convinced herself that she didn't need any help from anyone. But she was wrong.


	16. Remember The Love

**A/N: Ahhh, vacation is finally here! WOOHOO! Sorry if I didn't get a chance to write RIGHT away. I've had like... SO many tests and reports lately, it's unbearable. But I guess they piled it up on us before vacation started. And also, I went to New York on Wednesday, so I didn't come home until midnight! So I had to spend the next day writing the chapter lol! But anyway, thank you for all your wonderful reviews! I'm lovin' it! **

**Much love,**

**FoRgEtReGrEt525**

* * *

**Friday 8:15 a.m School yard**

"Hey, hey, Minako-chan! What happened yesterday with Rei-chan?" Usagi asked curiously.

Naru nodded. "Yeah, I felt really bad for her. Was she crying?"

"Uh... well, y'know, I just..." Minako was lost for words. "_What should I say to her...? I obviously can't tell her the truth since Rei didn't want anyone to find out about what happened... Ah! I got it!_" "Oh! I just asked her what was wrong, and she said that she was still upset about the grade she got on her social studies test, so I decided to stay with her to help her study."

"Oh, that's good," Makoto began. "I thought we upset her. I would feel so bad..."

"She's fine now. She just needed help with her homework..." Minako lied.

Usagi nodded. "Oh, okay. I was just worried because I thought I said something to make her upset."

Minako shook her head. "No, you didn't. She's fine now."

Usagi smiled. "Good! But she shouldn't get so upset about a grade. I mean, we know from experience, right?"

Minako chuckled. "True, very true. But Rei-chan is almost like Ami-chan y'know? They get really good grades and can't take getting any bad grades."

"Good point," Usagi said. "But where is Ami-chan and Rei-chan?"

Minako shrugged. "Dunno. School starts in ten minutes... Ami-chan is usually here by now."

And right on cue, Ami came running into the school yard.

"Ami-chan? Where were you? _You _are usually the one who has to wait for _us_," Usagi said.

Ami, panting heavily from running, wiped her forehead and spoke up: "I... my... mom... worked... late... midnight... lunch..."

"Whoah, slow down there, Ami," Makoto chuckled.

Ami sighed heavily. She finally caught her breath. "Oh, it's really nothing. My mom just worked really late last night and she fell asleep on the couch. She was supposed to make my lunch when she came home, but she was too tired. So she had to hurry and make my lunch this morning, but she was late for work so I had to walk... well, more like run..."

"Aww, that's too bad, Ami-chan," Usagi frowned. "You could've asked for me to walk with you. I always walk to school."

Ami shook her head. "Nah, it's okay, Usagi-chan. It probably won't happen again."

"Well, okay... Just lemme know if it does happen again, okay?" Usagi smiled.

Ami smiled back. "Thank you."

Naru frowned. "Rei's still not here."

Usagi looked over at Minako. "Minako-chan, are you sure it was just about the social studies test? If feels like it's something else--"

"No...! No! She was upset about the test, right? That's what I said, right?" Minako interrupted.

"But... Rei-chan isn't... really that type to freak out over a failing grade like that," Naru said.

"I don't even know why she's not here, guys! Don't be up my a--" Minako paused. The four friends starred blankly at her, wondering what she would say next. Minako cleared her throat. "Just don't worry about her, guys. I'm sure she's okay. Nothing can fear the almighty Hino Rei, right?"

Usagi chuckled. "You're right. We shouldn't worry too much. I'm sure she's okay."

Minako gulped. "_I hope so_."

* * *

"Take your seats!" cried Mrs. Tenohamu. "I'm passing out a science worksheet for you to work on. You may use your books."

Minako sighed. "_It looks like Rei didn't come in after all... That's so weird..._ _She always comes to school._"

"This is a worksheet about rocks and minerals, and--"

The door swung open. And it was no other than Rei. Cursing and trying not to drop all her books, she looked up at Mrs. Tenohamu, who was glaring at her.

"Welcome, Miss Hino. Take your seat."

Rei slowly made her way over to her desk and placed her books on her desk.

Minako glanced over at Rei. "Rei-chan, what happened?" she whispered.

Rei shook her head. "Nothing, it's just because no one was there to wake me up on time, so I kinda ran late..."

Minako frowned. "I knew you should've lived with your father..." she mumbled.

"Excuse me? That doesn't concern you. I made my choice, and that was not seeing him nor hearing him. Besides, Grandpa's coming back in a couple of days. I'm fine," Rei hissed.

Minako sighed. "Fine, whatever."

Rei rolled her eyes. "_I don't need her telling me what to do. I'm fine by myself for a couple more days. I just hope Usagi and the others didn't realize how I've been acting lately... Ugh, C'mon Rei, just make it through today... that's it... Just today and then it's over..._"

* * *

**12:30 p.m Recess**

"Hey, hey Rei-chan! Why were you late? That's my job!" Usagi laughed. "Don't tell me you over slept?"

Rei sighed, very well knowing that _over sleeping_ wasn't the reason she was late. But Rei put on the best fake smile she could muster up. "Y... yeah, I guess that's what happened..."

Usagi laughed even harder. "Ha-ha! I've been waiting for this day to come! Now all we need is Ami-chan to over sleep!"

"Usagi...!" Minako hissed. "There's no reason to laugh about over sleeping."

Usagi pouted. "What's with you two lately? You've been--"

Minako clenched her teeth. "Usagi... just... please," she growled.

Usagi blinked. "O... okay... sorry..."

Rei grabbed Minako's wrist. "We'll be right back."

"Ouch! Rei! What the--"

Rei dragged Minako to the other side of the school yard. Sighing heavily, she spoke up:

"Listen, okay... We have all established that Usagi is an idiot--"

"No she's not!" Minako hissed.

Rei rolled her eyes. "Whatever! Usagi has no idea what's going on, so it's not her fault that she's saying... stupid things. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Minako nodded slowly. "Yeah I get what you're saying, but still..." she trailed off.

"So it's not a big deal, right? And also, I just wanted to tell you that... I'm going to call my father later tonight... just to settle things," Rei explained.

Minako smiled. "Finally! That's what I wanted you to do the whole time! That's good; you're finally going to settle things with him."

Rei shrugged. "Who knows? He might not even talk to me or listen to me. That's what I'm afraid of."

Minako sighed. "Rei, he _tried_ to talk to you, but you... well... _you_ didn't listen to him. Y'know...?"

Rei bit her lower lip. "But I just couldn't take it! He made my blood pressure raise too far, so I... I just didn't want to listen to him."

"Well, once you settle things with him, he'll be fine... And so will you."

Rei smiled. "Thanks. I'll... keep you posted on everything. _I just hope it works out..._" Rei added in her mind.

* * *

**Hikawa Shrine 3:00 p.m**

"Just dial the freakin' number, Rei!" Rei cried. She stood with the phone in her hand in hopes of actually calling her father.

She sighed. "Okay... Just dial, Rei. You can do this..." She finally managed to dial the number. She held the phone in her right ear, and continued to worry about what she will say to him.

_Beep._

"Just stay calm... It'll go by fast..."

_Beep._

"I just hope he forgives me... Wait! What am I saying? He's the one who should be apologizing to me! Ugh! There goes my temper again... Just relax..."

_Beep._

"Here it goes... Just a quick conversation and that's it..."

_Beep._

"Hello? This is Senator Hino speaking."

"..."

"Hello? Ugh, damn prank calls," Mr. Hino was about to hang up when Rei spoke up:

"Papa?"

He paused. "Rei? What happened? Are you okay?"

"... Papa... I'm... sorry..."

There was a sigh on the other line. "Rei... I should be the one to apologize... I was out of line... I'm sorry."

"Papa, I just wanted... to settle things between us, y'know? I don't want to have to fight with you like that again."

Mr. Hino chuckled. "Now I know where you got your temper from. It was starring at me right in the face. You got it from _me_."

Rei snorted. "My temper's not as half as bad as yours."

Mr. Hino laughed. "I suppose you're right, Rei. And tell your little friend... uh... the one with the bow, that I'm sorry for being rude. I... was just a little upset..."

"A little?"

Rei could almost hear Mr. Hino roll his eyes. "You've made your point, Rei," he laughed.

Rei also laughed. "Yeah, I'll make sure I'll tell her that. But what I also want to talk about is Grandpa."

Mr. Hino smiled. "You're just like your mother. You are always worried about others and not yourself."

A smile crept on Rei's face. "I always thought I was more like you, Papa."

"Well, both of us," Mr. Hino said. "But the hospital called me this morning and said that Grandpa will be out of the hospital tomorrow. I'm sorry... I wasn't able to visit him... It really did hurt because it made me think of what happened to your mother..."

Rei fell silent.

"But everything's okay now. I'll get out of work tomorrow morning to pick Grandpa up, okay? You can come with me too since it's Saturday."

Rei beamed. "Really, Papa? I... thank you."

Mr. Hino smiled. "You're welcome, sweetie. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too, Papa."


	17. Sleepover!

**

* * *

**

A/N: Next chappie! I hope you like it! It's going to be a cute and funny little chapter Enjoy!

* * *

December fifth: one of the most important days for Kino Makoto. It was officially her birthday, and she was turning twelve years old. She skipped into the school yard happily; and Makoto isn't exactly the type to skip everywhere. She smiled broadly when Ami came into the yard.

"Ami-chan!" Makoto cried. "Over here!"

Ami smiled. "Mako-chan! Happy birthday!" she said as she came running over to Makoto.

"Thank you! Ah, it feels like I'm twelve years old..." Makoto said.

"Technically," Ami began. "You're not twelve _yet_ because when you go to sleep, you will grow. So that means that you're twelve when you grow."

Makoto sighed. "Ami-chan, I'm sure you've known that for a fact ever since you were three years old, but I'm really just going to try and enjoy the day since it's my birthday."

Ami blushed. "O... okay..."

Makoto laughed. "But thanks for telling me that."

Ami smiled warmly. "You're--"

"MAKO-CHAN! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" shouted a over-excited Usagi as she ran in the school yard to Makoto. Let's face it, Usagi is loud. _Very_ loud. So it seemed that the whole yard had gone quiet, and the birds nesting in a nearby tree immediately flew off to another place that didn't have... well... Usagi.

Makoto sweat dropped. "Usagi... Thank you, but... you're very loud...!"

Usagi beamed. "I know," she said flatly. "Anyway, how are you? I'm so happy it's your birthday! 'Cause these days with Mrs. Tenohamu are getting _really_ boring!"

Makoto laughed. "Yeah, I guess we need a little more excitement, huh?"

Usagi nodded. "I'll say."

"Hey," Makoto began. "I was going to wait until everyone came in the yard, but it's almost twenty past, so I'll just tell you guys for now. I was planning on having a sleepover on Friday for my party. There will be cake, presents, games, movies, food, drinks and much more! So what do you say?"

Usagi beamed. "As long as there's food, I'm in!"

"I'm sure I can go," Ami smiled. "Should we bring our sleeping bags?"

Makoto nodded. "Yeah, we are sleeping downstairs in the family room and there are two couches, but I figure it would be better if you bring your own things."

Ami nodded. "Sounds good! It's going to be my first sleepover."

"You've never been to a sleepover before, Ami-chan?" Usagi asked.

Ami shook her head. "Nope, never."

"I've only been to one. It was a long time ago with Naru-chan. It was before I met you guys."

"Wow, that's like ancient, Usagi," Makoto laughed.

"I suppose so," Usagi smiled. "Hey, Mako-chan," Usagi began. "Are you going to invite Motoki-kun too?"

Makoto went pink. "No... It'll be awkward, y'know?"

"Why would it be awkward? You said the same thing when you and Motoki sat on the bus together! What's so awkward about it? He totally likes you!" Usagi said.

Makoto sighed. "I don't know... We don't have anything to talk about, anyway. Plus, he'll be very bored since he will probably be the only boy there."

"Invite Mamo-chan!" Usagi exclaimed.

Makoto shook her head. "My Grandparents don't want any boys in the house, anyway. And it just doesn't feel right to invite him..."

"But he's--"

Ami put her hand on Usagi should and shook her head. Usagi pouted, for she had never been shut up before when she was in the middle of a sentence.

"_Why does Mako-chan feel this way towards Motoki-kun? Does she like him or not? It's almost as if she's on this love roller coaster with him. Ugh, I just don't get it sometimes... She's just so stubborn._" Usagi thought.

* * *

**11:45 a.m: Lunch**

"Eh? A sleepover? Sounds like fun!" Minako exclaimed.

Makoto nodded. "There's going to be movies, food, drinks, games and much more. It's going to held on Friday. Can you make it?"

"Hell yeah!" Minako cried. "I'm pumped!"

Rei smiled. "Sure, I love sleepovers."

Naru beamed. "I'll be there!"

"Great!" Makoto said. "Meet at my house at around five. I'll make supper and desert."

"You? Don't you mean your Grandparents?" Naru asked.

Makoto shook her head. "Nope, me. I _love_ to cook. It's my hobby."

Naru blinked. "Wow... That's awesome..."

Makoto laughed. "Thank you. I've been doing it ever since my parents died... I guess it's just a way of concentration and relaxation for me."

"Like eating is a way of concentration and relaxation for me!" Usagi laughed.

Rei rolled her eyes. "It's a way of me wondering why I'm friends with you sometimes." she chuckled.

Usagi pouted. "How mean!"

Rei laughed. "I'm just kidding! Jeeze!"

"Back to the subject," Makoto said as she smirked at Rei and Usagi. "Bring your sleeping bags if you can. And you might want to bring something to clutch to since we're going to be watching a scary movie..." she laughed.

Usagi pouted. "Do we have to watch a scary movie?"

Makoto nodded. "Yes... and if you don't, a ghost will come to your house and haunt you, Usagi!"

Usagi whimpered. "Nooo! I don't want to get haunted for the rest of my life! I'll watch it! I'll watch it!"

Makoto snorted. "That was funny!" she paused when she saw Usagi face, which was still pouted and her eyes were still watery. Makoto hesitated. "Usagi... you _do_ know I was just kidding, right?"

Usagi blinked her watery eyes. "Uh... yes! Yeah, of course! Why would I believe _that_ stupid story! Tsk! Who do you think I am?"

Makoto sighed. "Okay, Usagi. Whatever you say."

* * *

**Friday 5:10 p.m: Sleepover**

"Woohoo! How exciting! We're finally at the sleepover!" Minako cheered. "What are we going to do first?"

Makoto laughed. "Hold your horses, Minako-chan. We're going to have supper first and then the party will begin. And there's no rush since my Grandparents aren't here today, so we have plenty of time."

"Okay!" Minako chirped. "I'm just really excited." She glanced over at Rei who was actually smiling quite a lot ever since Saturday. Minako tilted her head slightly to the side, wondering what could make the raven-haired grumpy girl so happy. She walked over to her.

"Hey, Rei-chan! Are you excited?"

Rei nodded. "Yeah, I totally love sleepovers... Well, I've never been to one in my life, so I guess that's why I'm excited."

Minako smiled. "Yeah, I've never been to a sleepover before, either." Her smile faded. "How did... y'know... that talk with your father go?"

Rei looked to the ground. Minako, who was afraid of what Rei would say next, held her breath in anticipation. "It... went great," Rei replied.

Minako blinked. "Really?"

Rei nodded. "Yep. We talked for a bit. It was fine. And Grandpa came back Saturday, so I'm fine now."

Minako smiled broadly. "That's so great, Rei-chan!"

"What's so great?" Usagi asked curiously.

"Uh..." Minako bit her bottom lip. "Oh! She just did an awesome job on her social studies homework last night, so I was just really proud of her because all that studying with her worked like a charm! Right, Rei-chan?"

Rei snorted at Minako's lie, for she knew that she was getting much better grades _without _her 'tutoring.' "Yeah, that's pretty much it." Rei said.

Usagi smiled. "Wow, you're so lucky that your grades are _already_ improving, Rei-chan! Why can't I be like you?"

Rei laughed. "Please, Usagi, you really don't want to be me. You wouldn't last one day in my shoes."

Usagi pouted. "I just don't get you sometimes, Rei-chan."

"No one really gets me, Usagi," Rei smirked. "And may I ask, did you bring something to squeeze onto when we watch the scary movie?"

Usagi then pulled out a pink stuffed bunny. "Maybe..."

"Okay, everyone! Dinner's ready!" Makoto called from the kitchen.

"YEAH!" Usagi cried.

Rei rolled her eyes. "Who is _that_ excited to eat?"

* * *

After dinner, the six friends sat on Makoto's dark, green couch to watch the movie. They were going to watch _Friday the 13__th__, _and Usagi had already had the blanket wrapped around her body, her pink bunny, and her arms locked around Ami's right arm. Makoto placed the DVD in the player and shut off the lights. As soon as Usagi saw the menu of the movie, she yelped and squeezed not the bunny, but poor Ami's arm. Ami, quite startled from Usagi's clutching, gasped and threw her hands back which slapped Minako in the face. Since Minako wasn't expecting the slap, she screamed and elbowed Rei in the chest. Rei then gagged from the punch which caused her to gag right in Naru's face, which then caused her to scream "EWWW!" right in Makoto's ear.

"STOP!" Makoto cried. Everyone starred blankly at her. "You guys... Just... calm down, okay? And by 'you guys' I mean Usagi. It's just a _movie_. It's not real, okay?"

Usagi nodded slowly. "Y... yeah..."

"Good..." Makoto sighed. "Let's just get the movie started, shall we?"

During the movie, there were many squeaks and gasps... which were all mostly done by Usagi. Ami was engaged in the movie, barely even blinking for a second. Minako bit her thumb nail nervously, Rei placed her chin on her hand and let her elbow rest on her leg, Naru would occasionally block her eyes with her hands, and Makoto would basically laugh at... well, not even funny parts. The movie continued until nine- thirty, when Makoto brought down ice cream sundaes for the friends to eat.

"Wow... this is the best sleepover ever!" Minako said while talking huge spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream in her mouth.

Usagi nodded in agreement. "I'll say! This is awesome so far!"

"I loved the part when Usagi totally freaked out at the movie," Rei snorted.

Usagi pouted. "It wasn't that scary! And plus, I've screamed louder than that before!"

Makoto smirked. "Well, if that didn't scare you, then what about this... There once was a young lady who lived in this beautiful house. She had the perfect life. No worries, nothing. She was a very nice woman who loved children, so she decided to open up a day care at her house. Little did she know the house was haunted. So one night, before she went to bed, she heard a door slowly creek shut... by _itself_." Makoto paused too look at Usagi face and to quickly think of something else to add to the story. "So then, the woman went to check what the noise was. All of a sudden, the door that shut by itself began to _open_ by itself! So the lady had no other choice but to look inside of the room. She went in, and as soon as she stepped in, it was ice cold in there."

"How cold?" Usagi asked.

"Below freezing!" Makoto said.

"Oh... Is that bad?" Usagi asked.

Makoto starred blankly at her. "Uh... yeah! Of course!"

"Oh, okay. Continue, then," Usagi said as she clutched her pink bunny.

Makoto cleared her throat. "Okay, then. So it was extremely cold in there... so cold she could see her breath. The woman slowly inched closer into the room. "Hello?" she asked. "Is anyone in here?" No one responded. It was quiet... too quiet... then... BOOM! The door had slammed shut again! But this time, there was no escaping it. It was locked from the front."

"How could that happen? You can't lock it from the front!" Usagi said.

Makoto, extremely amused at Usagi's comments, spoke up: "Because it's a ghost. Ghosts can do anything, Usagi."

Usagi bit her bottom lip. "Okay, continue."

"The woman was panicking. She couldn't get out, nor could she call for anyone for help. And all you could hear was a single scream that came through the locked window. The neighbors today still think something's there. Because they can sometimes hear the young woman scream in that very... same... room..."

It was very quiet until Rei spoke up:

"Well, that was fake as all hell," she said flatly.

Makoto sighed. "Well, I don't know Rei. They say the ones who don't believe in that story are the ones who are going to be _next_."

Usagi whimpered. "No! I believe! I believe! I believe! I believe!"

Makoto smirked. "So you never know... before we go to bed, we better make sure all the doors are locked... Because don't forget... we're by ourselves tonight... Right, Usagi?"

Usagi, at this point, was about to cry. "Stop! I don't want to be haunted by a creepy ghost! Please! I'm afraid!"

Makoto laughed. "Usagi! I'm just joking! I'm kidding! It's not real, none of it's true!"

Usagi blinked her tears away. "Really?"

Makoto nodded. "Yeah! Everyone knew that, right?"

The four other friends nodded in agreement.

"There, see! It's fake! Don't worry," Makoto reassured her.

Usagi sniffed. "Well, okay. But you sure did a really good job planning it."

"I did? Well, that's good to hear. I didn't know I was that good at making up scary stories," Makoto smiled triumphantly.

Naru yawned loudly. "Well, I'm ready to hit the hay."

Ami rubbed her eyes. "Me too. I got up ay six o'clock this morning just to finish my novel I was reading."

"Alright then. Let's all go brush our teeth and go to bed," Makoto said.

So the six friends went upstairs to brush their teeth and get their sleeping bags. Then they came back down to set up their spots for their sleeping bags. Soon they all settled in their bags and began to talk before they went out like a light.

"Man, this is so fun. This is my first sleepover, and it rocks!" Minako giggled under her blankets.

Rei nodded. "Same. I always wanted to go to a sleepover, but Grandpa was too over-protective."

"Those are parents for ya," Naru said.

Rei nodded. "I'll say," she glanced over at the clock. "Well, it's ten-thirty... maybe we should just go to bed now."

Minako pouted. "Only ten-thirty? C'mon, Rei-chan! You're such a party pooper!" she said as she flung her pillow right at Rei's face.

Rei tried to put on her 'pissed off' face, but it turned into a goofy grin. "MINAKO!"

The attack came firing back at Minako. Rei had thrown her pillow at her without an inch of hesitation.

Minako pouted. "Rei-chan, that hurt! Take THIS!"

Once again, a pillow came firing at Rei. But she dodged it and it hit Ami right smack in the nose.

Minako bit her lower lip. "Sorry, Ami-chan... that was meant for Rei..."

Ami still had her eyes shut tightly and her fists were clenched. "I may be the brainy girl of the group, but I do know how to throw a pillow!"

And with that, the pillow came flying over to Makoto. At that point, there were pillows flying everywhere. The pillow fight continued for a full half hour until the six friends fell to the ground with no more energy.

Usagi laughed. "That was funny! Ami-chan, you're nose is still red from Minako-chan's throw!"

Ami laughed. "I can still feel it, too."

Makoto caught up with her breath. "Okay, we really should go to bed now. That was enough excitement for one night."

So the six friends nuzzled up in their sleeping bags and fell fast asleep-- except Usagi. She, unfortunately, still believed that the story Makoto had told was indeed true. She sighed and turned over on her right side, hoping to ketch some sleep. But no luck. She looked over at Rei, who had the blankets tightly wrapped around her and her mouth slightly opened.

"Rei-chan?"

Silence.

"Ne, Rei-chan?" Usagi poked the raven-haired girl.

She pouted in defeat and looked over at Minako who was sleeping like a baby. No one was awake.

_CREAK_

Usagi's blue orbs scanned the room. No one was awake, so what was that noise? Usagi shook her head. "_That was nothing. I must be thinking too much about the story that I'm hearing things. Yeah, that's it_."

_BOOM!_

Usagi gasped. "MAKO-CHAN!"

Makoto jumped up from a deep sleep to see Usagi clutching her pink bunny for her dear life.

Makoto rubbed her eyes sleepily. "W... what, Usagi?"

"I heard a noise...! It was all creeeeeeeeeeeeak! And then BOOOOOOOOOOM!" Usagi explained.

Soon enough, the four other friends were awake again.

Naru moaned. "Morning already?"

"No, it's just Usagi. She heard a noise," Makoto said.

Rei rolled her blood-shot tired eyes. "Oh, please, Usagi! Are you still afraid of that dumb-ass story? I though we all established that it wasn't real!"

Usagi sniffed. "I know, but I heard a door creak!"

Makoto got up from her sleeping bag. "Alright, alright, I'll go check what it is..."

Makoto went upstairs and found the cause of the problem. The kitchen window was still open. She shut it and went back downstairs.

"It was just the kitchen window I left open while I was cooking. I was hot from cooking, so I opened it to get some fresh air. Better now?"

Usagi nodded. "Yeah... Thanks."

Makoto nodded and lay back down in her sleeping bag. "Don't mention it."

About ten minutes later, everyone was back to sleep again. Usagi tried as hard as she could to sleep, but she kept thinking about the movie and the story.

"_Great, an addition to the scariness... the movie_." Usagi thought.

All of a sudden, she saw a shadow of what looked like a man with a knife. Usagi's eyes bulged.

"_It can't be... the scary guy from the movie?! Who is it?!_" "MAKO-CHAN! NARU-CHAN! AMI-CHAN! REI-CHAN! MINAKO-CHAN! SOMEONE WAKE UP AND HELP ME!"

**A/N: Haha!! I must say, I totally love this chapter so far. Usagi+scary make-believe story FUNNY! XD Hope you like it so far. What will the 'guy with the knife' do? XD (well, it's obviously not really a real guy with a knife LOL!) Wait 'till next chappie!**


	18. Sleepover Part Two: A Ghost?

**A/N: Hey! I'm sorry that I didn't update right away... I was grounded, and I couldn't go on the computer for a while UGH! Oh well, it happens to everyone, right? **

"MAKO-CHAN! NARU-CHAN! AMI-CHAN! REI-CHAN! MINAKO-CHAN! SOMEONE WAKE UP AND HELP ME!"

Minako bolted up from her sleeping bag. "AH! THE BRITISH ARE COMING!!"

Naru rubbed her eyes. "W... what...?"

Rei slowly sat up in her sleeping bag. "What the hell...?"

"The area of a triangle is base times height times one half..." Ami said sleepily.

Makoto yawned loudly. "What... What happened?" looking around the room, she looked over at Usagi, who had the blanket in front of her face.

Makoto blinked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Well, maybe I did!" Usagi cried while pointing over to the shadow. "What do ya call that thing?"

Rei stood up and walked over to the shadow. She sighed and put one hand on her hip. "I call it a _coat hanger_."

Usagi blinked. "A coat hanger...? But look at it! It looks like a man with a knife! Like in the movie! Right?"

Minako sighed dramatically. "Usagi-chan... We all know that there's no such thing as Jason from _Friday the 13__th_! It's just a movie."

Ami nodded and rubbed her eyes. "Right. That's what you have to remember before you go to sleep. There's no such thing, okay?"

Rei crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Listen to you people cooing her! She's eleven years old; I think she can handle everything herself."

Makoto sighed. "Well, Usagi is the type to hold onto something... scary for a while... y'know...?"

"That's right, Rei-chan! I'm sure you're afraid of half the things I'm afraid of!" Usagi said while clutching onto her bunny.

"Really? Why don't you list them for me?" Rei smirked.

"Well, there are monsters in the closet and under the bed, scary movies that will ironically come true when you think about them, creepy noises, scary shadows, and someone dressed up as a scary person from a scary movie. Ha! There has to be something out of all those that you're scared of!"

Rei shook her head. "Nope."

"GRRR!" Usagi growled. "You're so mean to me, Rei-chan!"

"You're just a whiney baby that's scared of a coat hanger!"

"You're just a grumpy girl with no sense of style!"

"You're--"

_BAM!_

"AHHH! It's a ghost coming to haunt us because we wouldn't stop yelling at each other! Now he couldn't rest in peace because we were so loud!" Usagi squeaked.

Rei rolled her eyes. "I have two reasons for your stupid theory. One: You were the one who was loud. And two: If there was a ghost, something else would've happened. Like... something would've knocked over... or we would be freezing."

_CRASH!_

"EEEEEK!" Usagi cried. "I'm scared! What's that noise?!"

Makoto furrowed her eyebrows. "It's coming from upstairs... Let's go."

"Hey, guys!" Naru cried frantically. "Where's Minako?"

Makoto whirled her head around to Naru's direction. "What?!"

"She's not here! She was with us a minute ago!" Naru said while looking around the room for any sight of the blonde-haired girl.

"Oh no! The ghost was angry at us so he took Minako-chan!" Usagi panicked.

"Enough with this ghost theory, Usagi! My house it not haunted!" Makoto cried.

_BUMP, BUMP, BUMP!_

"What the hell...?" Rei questioned.

Ami gulped. "We're going to have to see what's going on up there..."

"Alright... I'm sure it's nothing, but if there _is_ something, I'll get the emergency knife, Rei will distract whatever... or whoever's up there, Ami will grab the nearest phone, Naru will run outside and get the neighbors and Usagi... Usagi..." Makoto paused. "You'll just stay with me, okay?"

Usagi nodded, still holding on the stuffed toy with all her might.

"Okay, let's go..."

The five friends slowly walked up the stairs. Each step they took matched the beat of their hearts. They were afraid to even know what was up there. Finally making it to the first floor, they slowly made their way to where the noises were coming from.

"Okay, just in case, you remember the plan, right?" Makoto asked.

The four nodded.

"Alright..." Makoto gulped. "Here we go..!"

They walked into the dark hallway, afraid if something popped out at them, they were prepared to run. All of a sudden, something appeared through the darkness. Something big and... white.

Makoto's eyes bulged. "Something's there!" she cried. "Stay where you are, you monster!"

It still came running towards them. From what the friends were hearing, it was saying weird sentences and words.

"I'm getting the knife!" Makoto shouted under Usagi's many screams of terror.

"_BUAIT! BUAIT! MAKOBO-CHBAN_!" said the white, running object.

Rei's eyes narrowed. "What a minute, Makoto," she grabbed the white... which was actually a blanket. And under it was no other than... Minako.

Rei rolled her eyes. "I knew it."

"MINAKO-CHAN?!" Makoto cried.

Minako, still gasping for air, finally spoke up: "Okay, I can totally explain. I had to go to the bathroom like, really badly. So while Usagi and Rei were arguing, I headed upstairs. I thought somebody noticed me, but you guys were half asleep, anyway. So when I went up here, it was way too dark, so I looked for a light switch or something. But since _I_ was half asleep, I totally bumped into a door and fell over. It was really loud too."

"That explains the loud bam," Ami said.

Minako nodded. "And then when I finally stood back up, I grabbed a ledge to help me get back up. But little did I know that there was a flower pot on the ledge and I accidentally knocked over and fell to the floor."

"That was the crash," Rei said. "What about the uh... bang, bang, bang? It sounded like you toppled over or something."

Minako smiled. "That's 'cause I did! So, once I finally got back up, I tripped over a piece of pot that had fallen. I ended up tripping over it and tumbling into your grandparents' room," Minako said while pointing to the room. "I suddenly got tangled up in a blanket, and that's when I saw you guys. And I was so freaked out at the fact the Mako-chan was going to murder me! I was trying to say: 'wait, wait! Mako-chan!' But it came out a little weird."

Makoto wiped her sweaty forehead and sighed. "Well, at least Rei knew it was you before I actually did freakin' kill you!"

Minako laughed. "Well, since everything's all clear now, where is the bathroom?"

Makoto sweat dropped. "You still haven't gone yet?"

Minako shook her head. "No, how was I supposed to with all the commotion?"

"Down the hall to your right," Makoto directed.

Minako smiled. "Thanks! I really thought I would freakin' pee my pants with all the toppling over and everything!"

"Can you just go to the bathroom, Minako so we can actually get some sleep?!" Rei spat.

Minako rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine..."

So with Minako directed to the bathroom and no ghost, the friends finally made it back downstairs to get some sleep.

"Ugh... thank God that's over," Naru said as she flopped down in her sleeping bag.

Ami nodded in agreement. "It's midnight, we should get some sleep. It was a... very interesting night."

Makoto sighed. "Indeed. G'night everyone."

A couple of minutes later, Usagi woke up in the middle of the night. Looking around the room to find Makoto, she spoke up:

"Hey, Mako-chan..."

"Hmmm...?" Makoto groaned.

"I heard a noise..."

Groaning once again, Makoto got up to find the cause of the noise. It had been a long night with Usagi.

* * *

_AMI'S POV_

It was Monday morning. Ami Mizuno woke up at exactly seven fifteen a.m. Yawning and stretching, she rubbed her eyes and walked downstairs, expecting to see her mother eating some breakfast. Peering in her mother's room, she asked: "_Where is she...?_"

Sighing in defeat, she walked back downstairs in the kitchen to get some breakfast. Putting a box of _Coco Puffs_ on the island, she noticed a note sitting beside her. Picking up the note, Ami frowned as she began to read each sentence.

_Dear Ami,_

_I'm sorry if I wasn't able to see you this morning. I had to go to work a little earlier today. Call me if you need anything or call Grandma. Have a good breakfast and a great day at school. Keep up the great work. I'll see you at around ten-thirty._

_Love,_

_Mama_

_P.S: I already made your lunch, it's on the counter._

Placing the note back in its original spot, Ami began to eat her breakfast. Once that was done, she went upstairs and changed into her uniform. Brushing her teeth and combing her hair, she wondered when or how she would get to school on time.

"I'll just have to walk again," she concluded.

And with that, Ami Mizuno grabbed her lunch and headed out the door for another day of school.


	19. Dear Friends

**A/N: Heyyy! How is everyone? I'm so sorry about the late update... A CRAP load of homework and reports and... Whatever. OMG ok so y'know how I told you about my homeroom/science teacher and how I based her on Mrs. Tenohamu? Well, this is what she said to us: "Well, you'll be happy to hear that you did great on your other book report. So since you did so well, you're gonna do another one!" **

**UGHHH! Lol. She's so mean! But since I just finished the book report, I'm all in the clear (for now.) Well sorry to keep babbling, here's the next chappie! Yay!**

**8:17 a.m. School yard **

"Ugh! _Where_ is Ami-chan?" Usagi said as she stomped her foot impatiently. "I hope she didn't run to school again..."

"Eh? Run?" Makoto asked. "Why would she run? Her mom drops her off at school, right?"

Usagi nodded. "But lately her mom's been too busy with work and everything... I feel so bad for Ami-chan."

"Awh, poor Ami-chan..." Minako pouted. "Why couldn't one of us pick her up or at least walk with her?"

"That's exactly what I told her! But she said she was fine," Usagi sighed. "But I know that she really isn't..."

Rei nodded. "Ami is known for doing that... I feel bad. She needs to let one of us know..."

_RING, RING, RING! _

Naru bit her bottom lip. "That's the bell... I hope Ami-chan can make it..."

"Don't worry... she will..." Usagi said. "...She will."

**8:45: Math**

"So... in conclusion, negative two is greater than negative eleven," said Mr. Ichigo. "I want you to work on work book page 150 and then copy and work on the problems I'm writing on the board now."

Usagi tapped her pencil on her desk impatiently. Eight forty- seven, and Ami still wasn't here. Sighing and chewing the tip of her pencil, Usagi kept glancing over at the door to see if Ami would come in.

And it was worth the wait.

A very disorganized Ami came in the classroom... and dropped all of her books on the floor. Panting heavily, Ami finally approached her seat.

"It's about time, Miss Mizuno. Take your seat, please," Mr. Ichigo said.

"I... I'm so sorry, Sensei! It... It won't happen again!" Ami said.

"Let's hope not," Mr. Ichigo said. "You missed my explanation of integers."

"Integers?" Ami asked. "Oh, that's fine, Sensei. I already know how to work with integers."

Mr. Ichigo's eyebrow rose. "I see..."

Usagi giggled. "_That's Ami-chan for ya_."

**11:45: Lunch**

"Ami-chan, where were you? We couldn't talk to you the whole time while changing classes because it's so hectic. Why were you late?" Usagi asked.

Ami sighed. "I... just _ran_ a little late..." she paused. "...Pun intended." she added.

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Ami-chan, I thought we told you not to run to school anymore! Call one of us, we'll be happy to take you to school!"

Rei nodded in agreement. "Ami, I walk to school everyday. If you want, you're more than welcome to come with me. It kinda gets very lonely doing the same thing every day with no one to talk to, y'know."

Ami looked down at the ground. "I know, but..." she trailed off.

"Don't ever be afraid to ask us, Ami-chan," Minako said. "Like Rei-chan said, we will love to help... not to sound too cheesy," she laughed.

Ami smiled. "I suppose you're right... I'm sorry, guys. I just thought... I could handle this myself, y'know?"

"Everyone needs their friends' support _once_ and a while, Ami-chan," Usagi smiled.

Naru smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, don't worry, Ami-chan. Now you and Rei can walk together to school. It'll be fine."

"Thank you, Rei-chan. But I'll only need a few more days of walking because my mother should be almost done with her late nights," Ami said.

"Before this all happened," Makoto began. "What time did she usually come back?"

Ami put her index finger on her chin. "I would say... nine or nine-thirty."

"What time is she coming home now?" Makoto asked.

"Ten-thirty... eleven..."

"Gosh, that's late," Usagi pouted. "But everything's okay now. Ne, Ami-chan?"

Ami smiled and nodded. "Yep!" she turned towards Rei. "Rei-chan, if you want we can meet at my house since it's closer to the school. Does that sound good?"

Rei nodded. "Sure thing. I'll be there early."

"Great! Thanks so much, everyone." Ami smiled "_I'm so happy to have friends like them..._" she thought.

**Mizuno resident: 10:45 p.m.**

Still lying awake, Ami lay in her bed reading a book. Sighing and finally placing the book down on her lap, she rubbed her eyes, which were very bloodshot. Yawning loudly, she jolted at the sound of a door opening. Then she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. It was Mrs. Mizuno.

Ami smiled. "Hi, Mom."

Mrs. Mizuno smiled back. "Hi, honey. How was school?"

"Ah... good. I... was kinda late today, though."

Mrs., Mizuno frowned. "I'm sorry, Ami. A few more weeks left of this late night process. Then we'll be back to our original routine. Are you okay?"

"Mmhm... Rei-chan is going to walk with me to school now," Ami said.

"How many times have you... been late?" Mrs. Mizuno asked.

"This was the first time... I just hope it'll stop since I'm walking with someone now."

Mrs. Mizuno nodded. "Ami, you know, you're lucky to have such great friends. I grew up with not that many friends. So I'm just so happy to see you with such a wonderful group of friends."

Ami smiled. "I know... They are all very supportive for me."

Mrs. Mizuno smiled and then sighed. "Well, you should get some sleep. I suppose you have to get up earlier in the morning if you are going to meet Rei," she kissed Ami's forehead. "Good night, Ami."

"Good night Mom."

**A/N: I'm so sorry if that was a short chapter... Like I said, A LOT going on, so I'm sorry if I can't update right away, but I know some of you guys have been waiting FOREVER for the update, so once again, I'm so sorry!**


	20. New Year's Rockin' Eve!

**A/N: Hehe new chappie in this chapter, it's not only a happy time for the six friends, but for all of you guys who have been reviewing! It's already the 20****th**** chapter! I actually beat the chapters for "The Days of Kindergarten" Yay! Thank you so much everyone!**

So now, with all problems in the clear for the six friends, they are finally able to celebrate the New Year's with a bang! Heading over to Usagi's house for a fun-filled night, the six friends are ready for their New Year's Resolutions.

* * *

"Ah, it feels like a new year, doesn't it, everyone?" Usagi grinned. "I mean, it seems like just yesterday we were getting ready for out first day of middle school... or out first day of Kindergarten! Time flies, doesn't it?"

Ami nodded. "It sure does... But let's celebrate this New Year together; just as us six friends."

"Well said, Ami-chan," Minako said. "Ne, ne, ne, let's all form a circle and share our Resolutions!"

"Sweet! Lemme go first!" Usagi waved her hand in the air. "Okay, so, my New Year's Resolution is... to stop eating so much chocolate and less video games! What about you, Rei-chan?"

Rei sighed. "My New Year's Resolution is to leave all the crap in the past behind and get started in the 'now.' Hell, it's a new freakin' year! I want to make the best of it."

Minako nodded. "Well put, Rei-chan. I want to be able to sing one hundred songs this year. I tried it one year before, but I gave up. I ended up losing count," she giggled. "What about you, Naru-chan?"

Naru put her index finger on her chin. "Uh... I guess I just want to get high honors this trimester in school. I get honors, but I want to be able to reach high honors."

Makoto nodded. "Same... But I want to be able to complete my recipe book by filling it all in with my successful cookies and food that I made."

Ami smiled. "I want to study even harder to become the best doctor... of course it'll take a while, but I just want my academics to be perfect!"

Usagi beamed. "Great New Year's Resolutions, everyone! Now, it's eleven o'clock, my mom's gonna make us some treats to eat as we watch the news and watch the ball drop! Woohoo!"

"_And_ an addition to the other treats, Mako-chan made her famous Red Velvet Cupcakes! I mean, they're _red_ inside, man!" Minako cried.

"Oh, yes! I love those cupcakes! I could eat seven hundred of them in one day!" Usagi said.

"You can eat _any_ amount of _anything _any day, Usagi," Rei smirked.

Usagi stuck her tongue out at Rei. Then she paused. "Well, that is pretty much true, though," she laughed.

"Ne, ne, let's listen to the news, guys!" Naru said.

"_And with only an hour left, we await with anticipation for the ball to drop_!" the T.V announcer said. "_Those of you who are celebrating this wonderful time of the year in you houses, you sure are lucky! It's freezing out here! But all of these wonderful people are waiting patiently in the coldness just to watch this drop. Shibue Higa, what do you think of this?_"

"Ugh, nobody cares what that old guy has to say!" Minako groaned. "C'mon! Make that freakin' thing drop already!"

There was a knock on the door. "Hi, girls!" Mrs. Tsukino said as she came in with some snacks. "I have some delicious snacks for you!"

"Yay! Thanks Mom!" Usagi squeaked.

Mrs. Tsukino placed the snacks on Usagi's small table in her room and shut the door.

"Mako-chan, can we eat your cupcakes yet?" Naru asked.

Makoto smiled. "Sure! I have them right here!"

So the six friends dug in the food happily. And in a matter of minutes, Makoto's cupcakes were all gone... so were all the snacks Mrs. Tsukino laid out for them. About a half hour later, the six friends' stomachs were full.

"Ah, that was so good," Usagi said as she patted her stomach. She glanced over at the clock which read eleven forty-five. She smiled broadly. "Ne, everyone! It's almost midnight!"

Minako clapped her hands together. "Yeah! Fifteen minutes left!"

"_And with only fifteen minutes to spear, we wait anxiously to watch the sparkling ball drop. Let's see what our audience has to say about this. They've all been standing out here in the cold for _six_ hours! Some even came here this morning. Here are some of those people..._" the T.V reporter said.

"Blah! Who cares about people sleeping in the morning there just to wait for a stupid ball to drop! I once waited three hours at a ticket stand to get tickets to see a concert, and I was in the third row in the center! So something like a concert is worth the wait, but not this! I mean, maybe the T.V part is... well, if you're lucky enough to be seen on T.V," Minako said. "So I for one think it's a ridiculous idea."

Rei nodded. "Yeah, I agree with ya. I wouldn't wanna wait out there in the cold for six hours just to watch something drop."

"Thank you, Rei-chan," Minako smiled.

So with all the conversations going on, the friends realized that time had quickly passed, at it was eleven fifty-eight.

"AH! GUYS, IT'S ELEVEN FIFTY-EIGHT!" Usagi cried.

Naru blocked her ears. "We can see that, Usagi-chan."

"Yay! I'm so excited! We're all here spending New Years together! I'm so happy!" Usagi squealed.

"_And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for, it's finally time for the dazzling ball to drop!_" the T.V reporter exclaimed. "_Let's count down..._"

59, 58, 57, 56, 55...

"For good luck, fortune, and futures..." Ami said.

45, 44, 43, 42, 41...

"For friendships that will last forever..." Minako said.

37, 36, 35, 34, 33...

"For peace and serenity..." Rei said.

31, 31, 29, 28, 27...

"For eternal happiness and joy..." Makoto said.

24, 23, 22, 21, 20...

"For love that lasts forever..." Naru said.

17, 16, 15, 14, 13...

"For a wonderful new year, that we all may find all of these things. That we may encounter many new surprises and adventures along the way. Guys, let's have a great new year!" Usagi exclaimed.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"


	21. Break Away

**A/N: Hey! Sorry about the late update AGAIN!! SOOO much has been going on, if I ever told you it all, there would be no room for the actual fic! Ha! Anyway, here's the next chappie!**

The months seemed to go by quickly for the six friends. It was already March, and they... well, had nothing planned. The year seemed to go by so quickly already, but that's not stopping the six friends from having fun.

Walking, or should I say _sprinting_ to their next class, Minako and Usagi were late once again.

"C'mon, Usagi! Pick up the pace!" Minako called, for she was already at the last flight of stairs while Usagi... was at the second.

"I know, Minako-chan! But my legs are too tired to move!" Usagi groaned.

Minako rolled her eyes. "I can't wait for you anymore! We're already fifteen minutes late!" and with that, she ran into the classroom, leaving Usagi at a desperate attempt to ketch up with her.

"No, Minako-chan! Wait for me!" Usagi bolted up the stairs, two stairs at a time. She was running so fast that she felt dizzy--dizzy enough to ram into someone. And that someone just happened to be in the eighth grade, staring her down.

Usagi clasped her hands together. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!"

The dark-green haired girl raised her eyebrow, as if to say: 'What are you doing? How dare you ram into me like that!'

Usagi gulped. The girl giggled. "It's okay," and with that, she walked away, her luscious green hair waving every which way.

Usagi cocked her eyebrow. "That was... weird..." Her eyes widened. "Oh no! I'm already almost twenty minutes late!" she ran up three more flights of stairs.

The door flung open, revealing a messy-haired Usagi with her books nearly falling from her hands.

Mrs. Tenohamu folded her hands on her desk. "Welcome, Miss Tsukino..." she looked at the clock. "...twenty minutes later."

Usagi's head hung. "I'm sorry, Sensei..."

"Take your seat, please."

Usagi walked over to her desk and pushed her chair back to sit in, which made a loud screeching sound on the hard floor. She cautiously placed her books on her desk. She glanced over at Minako, who mouthed 'where were you?'

'Lunch,' was all Usagi mouthed back. Minako shrugged and continued to work on her many doodles in her notebook.

Usagi sighed. "_That girl seemed very... interesting. But yet she was so nice... well, to be a snobby eighth grader like most of them are. Maybe I'll see her at lunch._"

* * *

"Gosh, Usagi, this is a record," Rei began. "Usually it's just ten minutes or the last record was fifteen."

Usagi pouted. "Hey, it's not my fault that I sometimes sleep in!"

"Sometimes..." Makoto murmured through bites of her sandwich.

Usagi glared at Makoto. "Anyway, when I was running to class, I rammed into this girl in the eighth grade. She seemed very nice and she had very pretty hair."

Rei shrugged. "Okay... and that is important... why?"

Usagi pouted. "Rei-chan, you're so mean!"

Rei smirked and shook her head. "Whatever..."

Usagi got up to throw her lunch plate away when she saw Haruka and Michiru. Usagi smiled and skipped over to them. "Hi!" she chirped.

Michiru smiled warmly. "Hi Usagi. Long time no see."

Haruka grinned. "Hey, Odango."

Usagi cringed at the name. "Hey, I was just wondering..." she pointed to the eighth grader girl she had run into. "...Do you know what her name is?"

"Yeah, everyone does. She's the most beautiful eighth grader in the school. Her name's Setsuna," Haruka informed.

"Setsuna..." Usagi repeated.

Michiru nodded. "Yeah, she's everywhere and everyone knows her. She even entered that talent show that Haruka, Minako and I entered. She did a dance performance."

Usagi, still staring at Setsuna, nodded slowly. "I guess I'm kinda late. I've never heard of her nor seen her before."

"Well, now you have," Haruka said. "She _is_ very friendly considering all the rest of the kids in her class are snobs. She even hangs around with them... but I guess she doesn't have a choice."

Usagi pouted. "Well, just because they're older than us, doesn't mean that they deserve to be snobby like that."

Michiru nodded in agreement. "I'll say."

Usagi shrugged. "Ah, well, thanks for your help! I'll see ya round!" she said as she began to skip away from the table.

Michiru waved. "Bye, Usagi."

* * *

Recess was a little wet outside despite the sun shinning. It had rained all day yesterday, which ruined everyone's Sunday. But everyone was grateful that Miss Yuki, the kind-hearted literature teacher, had recess duty because she always gives them extra recess no matter what kind of weather it was outside. Usagi scrambled to her locker, gathering all of her math materials. On her way, she once again, ended up running into not one person, but three eighth graders. Two were girls and the other was a boy.

"Ahh! Oh, I'm so sorry!" Usagi bowed.

"Ugh! How disgraceful! How dare you run into us like that, little girl!" one cried.

"Yeah, and look at her hair! It's in _meatballs_!" the other shrieked with laughter.

"Maybe next time you'll actually pay attention to where you're walking, kid," said the boy.

Usagi's legs were trembling, mouth hanging open.

"Excuse me?" came a voice.

Everyone turned around to find Setsuna, one hand on her hip, eyebrows furrowed. "What's going on here?"

"This puny sixth grader totally rammed into us!" said one of the girls.

"Sakura," Setsuna began. "Leave her alone, I'm sure she didn't mean to," she glanced down at Usagi, smirking a little bit.

The other girl rolled her eyes. "Whatever, we don't need to deal with such stupidity," and with that, they walked off to their destination.

Setsuna looked down at Usagi, and Usagi looked back. The she finally broke the gaze when she looked at the ground and noticed Usagi's books on the ground. She picked them up and handed them to her. "Here," she said.

Usagi stared at her for a brief second, and then she retrieved her books from Setsuna. "T... Thank you."

She smiled warmly. "Any time," and she was about to walk off.

"Um," Usagi said. Setsuna turned around.

"Your name's Setsuna... right?"

"Yes it is," she said. She stood in the middle of the hallway for a minute, eyes never moving from Usagi's. Then she walked off.


	22. April Seventeenth

**A/N: How is everyone? Once again, sorry about the late update for chapter 21... Just a little bit slow back then ha-ha. But anyway, enjoy this chappie!**

It was April vacation. The school children were now probably sleeping in late, playing video games, or watching T.V. But not Hino Rei. For today was a special day.

It was April seventeenth.

It was a beautiful day, a perfect day to have a birthday. Rei rose from her bed and began to walk into the kitchen. She yawned loudly, rubbing her eyes. She began to wolf down her breakfast, which was a simple pop tart that she swiftly shoved in the toaster. Running back into her room, she changed into a pair of black jeans and a slim tee shirt. She sighed. She was going out for lunch with her father at around noon.

She shrugged on her sweatshirt, for it was a little chilly despite the sun being out.

Rei groaned. There was one thing that really ticked her off on her birthday:

_Phone calls._

She glanced over at her alarm clock which read nine-fifty. She then flopped on her bed, guessing how many calls she would get this year.

"_That,_" Rei began, "_is the worst of the whole birthday 'shebang'_..."

She closed her eyes. There was suddenly a knock on the door, revealing Grandpa Hino waddling in the room happily. Rei's eyes shot open in surprise.

"Hello, my little granddaughter! How is my birthday girl?" he smiled warmly.

Rei smiled back. "Hey Grandpa, I'm good."

"Feeling any older?" he laughed. Rei laughed with him. "Do you want to get some breakfast at that cute little diner up the street?"

Rei shook her head. "Ah... no thanks, Grandpa. I already had breakfast and Papa is taking me out to lunch this afternoon."

He nodded understandingly. "Ah, I see. That's fine," he then smiled. "Be prepared for the phone calls!"

Rei rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the warning."

_RIIIING!_

"Ah! There's the first call of the day," said Grandpa Hino.

Rei looked at the clock. "It's only ten o'clock!" she cried.

Grandpa Hino shrugged. "Sorry, can't help it." He began to walk out of her room. "Good luck." he laughed.

"I'll need it..."

* * *

"Yes... yes, that's great, Grandma... uh-huh... yep... yes, Grandpa's fine... no, he's not causing any trouble... okay, then... thanks... bye."

_Click._

"Well, that was the last one!" Rei concluded.

"What about your friends?" Grandpa Hino asked, eyebrow rising.

"I'll call them later--"

_RIIIING!_

"Too late," he grinned.

Rei rolled her eyes. "Hello?"

"AHHH! REI-CHAN! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

"Ah... Usagi, how are you?" Rei couldn't suppress the grin that creped on her face.

"I'm great! How's your birthday so far?"

"Uh... pretty good. I'm having a good time," she cleared her throat. "Hey, uh... I was wondering if you and the rest of us would want to go camping on the twenty-third. It's technically going to be my birthday party... I guess you can say. It'll be fun. We'll have a campfire, ghost stories, smores--"

"SMORES? I'm in!" Usagi cried happily.

"Great. I'll tell everyone else when they call later. Thanks, I'll see you then."

"Bye!"

_Click._

"_One down, four more to go_..." Rei thought.

* * *

_REI'S POV_

After many more phone calls-- mostly from my friends and telling them about my little 'birthday party', I was ready to meet my father at the restaurant.

"I'll be back at around two, Grandpa," I called as I headed out the door, not waiting for him to respond. I didn't know why I was rushing so much. Did I want this to go by quickly? Or was I excited? Many question raced through my mind. Around seven minutes later, I had arrived at the restaurant.

"_That was quick. He did say it was pretty close by,_" I thought.

Papa was already waiting for me at a table. He was casually sipping his soda when I came.

He beamed. "Hello, Rei. Happy birthday." he hugged me.

I was surprised at his greeting. Normally, he would just say what he had to say, and tell me to sit. But I liked how he hugged me. I hugged him back.

"Thanks, Papa."

"Here, take a seat," he said as he pointed to the direction to where my seat was located. "So, how are you? How have you been?"

I nodded. "I'm fine, feeling older," I smiled.

He laughed. "Why do you feel old?"

I shrugged. "I don't know... It seems like yesterday I was five years old in Kindergarten, and now I'm already twelve years old... It's amazing how time flies."

Mr. Hino nodded in agreement. "It does..."

He seemed to have dazed off for a minute, thinking about something. I cocked my head to the side. "Papa?"

He blinked. "Uh... y-yes?"

"Are you okay?"

He nodded. That same expression he always makes when he's lying or hiding something from me appeared on his face. That 'reassuring face.' Oh, how I knew that one.

"Papa, you're lying," my eyes narrowed.

He looked up at me. "It's just..." he sighed once more. "I can't believe you're already almost a teenager. Like you said, it seems just yesterday you were so little, still learning so much. And now, you're almost there, Rei."

"Where...?"

He cleared his throat. "You're almost... ready to leave me, to spread your wings and take off."

For some reason, my eyes filled with tears. Was it pain? Happiness? Agony? Sadness? I wasn't even sure myself. I cleared my throat, afraid that Papa might notice my reaction. Instead, I laughed. "Relax, Papa, I'm only twelve."

"You won't always be twelve," he said gloomily.

My face fell.

Then he chuckled. "So, enough with that, what would you like to eat?"

I blinked, turning my attention to Papa once more. I had even forgotten we were at a restaurant. "Oh! Uh..." I grabbed the menu. "Uh... I'll just have the chicken tenders."

He nodded. "Okay, then. I'm in the mood for some ribs."

Our food came immediately, and it was quite delicious. Papa and I talked the whole time; our mouths never stopped moving. I had to say, I was having a great time with Papa.

He took a gulp of his diet coke, liking his lips before he spoke. "So," he began, "what are your plans for your birthday party?"

"I plan on going camping with my friends. Grandpa is going to drop us off and... Well, I'll figure the rest out," I chuckled.

"Camping?" he sounded quite interested. "That's different for a birthday party. Are the smores going to be your birthday cake?" he laughed.

I playfully rolled my eyes. "Sure," I said in a tone of sarcasm.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" he grabbed his suitcase and opened it, revealing a small, little package wrapped in red and purple wrapping paper with a bow around it. He handed the little box to me.

"Here," he said. "It's not much, but I hope you like it. Happy birthday, Rei."

I retrieved the little box and slowly began to open it. My eyes widened in amazement. It was a shiny, gold necklace with the Japanese symbol that means 'love' on it. "Papa, it's beautiful!" I squeaked.

He smiled warmly. "It was Mama's. She would wear that every day. I kept it ever since."

And once again, tears quickly blinded my eyes. "T-Thank you..." I managed to choke out.

"You're welcome," he smiled, his shiny teeth gleaming. "Well," he began. "It's getting late, you should be getting home to Grandpa. As soon as the check comes, I'll take you home."

"Okay," I said, still admiring the golden necklace. I smiled a little. "_Time _does _pass, even when it seems impossible. But the time I have now can't be wasted. Life is about living it to the fullest, and that's what I plan on doing."_

**A/N: So, what did ya think? Cute chapter, huh? Here's a sneak peek at the next chapter... 'Camping Trip'!**

"Usagi, this is supposed to be my birthday party, so please don't get lost in the woods," Rei said as Usagi's eyes shifted nervously. "In... in the w-woods...?"

Rei nodded. "We're going to split up into groups. Since there's an uneven amount of us, Usagi, Ami, and Naru can go together. It's better if Usagi has more people..."

Usagi's eyes narrowed. "Just because I get scared easily, doesn't mean that I need more people in my group!"

Rei rolled her eyes. "Whatever, let's just go. We really need some wood for out camp fire."

"Well, y'know what, Rei-chan? I can go by myself!" Usagi crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Rei's lip twitched. "W...what?"

"Yep, you heard me. I can go in the woods by myself. I'll show you that I'm not scared!"

"Usagi, we don't want a stupid challenge right now. Rei's right, let's just go in our groups and get the wood, okay?" Makoto said.

But Usagi's arms were still crossed in front of her chest and her eyes were still narrowed. "No. I'm going to prove to her that I am not scared!"

And she stormed into the dark woods, not looking back at the five friends who stood appalled with their mouths hung open.


	23. Camping Trip

**A/N: Yay! Next chapter! I'm pretty sure this might be the fourth or third to last chapter... I haven't planned it all out yet. But thank you for all the great reviews!**

* * *

"Okay, does everybody have everything they need?" Rei asked as the five friends stood by the car with their bags in their hands.

Usagi nodded happily. "Uh-huh! Oh, I'm so excited to go camping!"

Rei smiled "Good, I'm glad. Just beware of the evil spirits that lay ahead of you when you go in the woods."

Minako snorted and rolled her eyes.

"W-what?" Usagi asked worriedly.

Rei laughed. "Don't worry, Usagi. There're no ghosts or spirits."

Usagi composed herself. "Tsk, I knew that. I was just playing along with your joke!"

Rei chuckled. "Yeah, sure."

A few minutes later, the six friends were ready to go. With everyone in the car and buckled up, the car rumbled to a start, and was out in the road.

"Ne, Rei," Minako began.

Rei turned to face Minako's direction.

"I thought you didn't have a car? Where did you get this one?"

"It was with my Papa the whole time. When I told him that we were going camping, he let Grandpa use it to bring us," she paused and smiled a little. "He's had it ever since Mama was alive," she said in almost a whisper. It was quiet for a while, no one spoke.

"Uh--ah--well, it--it's a nice car," Makoto said quickly to break the tension.

Ami immediately caught Makoto's hint. "Oh! Oh, y-yes, very comfortable."

"You guys," Rei looked at each and every one of their faces. "It's... okay. I'm fine. Let's have fun, okay? It was just a reference to my Mama... nothing more. Let's just drop it, okay...?"

They all looked at the ground, guilt flooding over them. And once again, it was quiet.

"Now, now, Rei," Grandpa Hino began. "Don't keep bringing the tension back..."

Rei sighed. "Yeah... I'm sorry, everyone."

"No, it was kinda _our_ fault," Naru said, still looking at the floor.

Rei shook her head. "Okay, it doesn't matter whose fault it was. Let's just have a good time."

So, the rest of the car ride was quiet. The only sound was the radio that played softly. Rei was staring out the window, Ami was reading a book...even though she felt sick from looking down, Usagi was eating a granola bar to keep her stomach from growling anymore, Makoto was fiddling with her fingers, Minako, on the other hand, wasn't too comfortable. The car only held six people, and there were seven. So she was stuck in the middle between Ami and Usagi... the crunching sound of Usagi munching on the granola bar made her cringe. And then Naru, who was biting her nails out of habit. About an hour later, they finally arrived at their destination. They all climbed out of the car (Minako most likely _sprinted _out of the car) and grabbed their bags out of the trunk.

Grandpa Hino honked the horn. "Have fun! I'll be here at eight o'clock sharp to pick you up!"

And, with that, the six friends moved along, ready for Rei's 'birthday party.'

* * *

"_Ohhh! Campfire! Campfire! How you shine! Making me happy! Making me fine! Oh, campfire_--"

"Usagi!" Rei snapped. "Can you please stop singing?!"

Usagi pouted. "Well, fine! But later you'll be begging me to sing a campfire song!"

Rei snorted "I guarantee you I won't. Now _this_ is a nice campfire spot."

She flung her bag on the ground; the five others did as well. "Now," she continued. "We're going to need some wood for the campfire. Let's split up into groups so we don't get lost in the woods."

Usagi stiffened. "In... in the woods...?"

Rei nodded. "We're going to split up into groups. Usagi, Ami, and Naru can go together.

"I can go myself!" Usagi protested.

Rei laughed was laughing so hard that she had to clutch onto Makoto for support so she didn't fall. "You're kidding, right?"

She shook her head. "Nope, not al all!"

"Usagi, this is supposed to be my birthday party, so please don't get lost in the woods or do anything stupid," Rei said.

Usagi's eyes narrowed. "Just because I get scared easily, doesn't mean that I can't go myself!"

Rei rolled her eyes. "Whatever, let's just go. We really need some wood for out camp fire."

"Well, y'know what, Rei-chan? I can go by myself!" Usagi crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Rei's lip twitched. "W...what?"

"Yep, you heard me. I can go in the woods by myself. I'll show you that I'm not scared!"

"Usagi, we don't want a stupid challenge right now. Rei's right, let's just go in our groups and get the wood, okay?" Makoto said.

But Usagi's arms were still crossed in front of her chest and her eyes were still narrowed. "No. I'm going to prove to her that I am not scared!"

And she stormed into the dark woods, not looking back at the five friends who stood appalled with their mouths hung open.

* * *

"Great... Just _great_! That stubborn girl just went in the woods by _herself_!" Rei cried. "What are we going to do? When you're in the woods and turn the wrong way, you're never coming out of there again. You could be going in circles forever. It's too confusing for her--for anyone...but _especially _her."

Ami sighed. "Well, there _is_ a possibility..."

"What? We leave a trail of granola bars for her to come back to us?" Rei growled.

"Uh...no... But the only way is to split up and look for her. And by split up I mean _groups_. None of us can go by ourselves," Ami informed. "Naru, Makoto, and I will go in a group together. You and Minako can go ahead."

Rei nodded slowly then huffed. "Okay, then. Good luck to everyone. Make sure you find that odango-headed girl."

"Right. We'll head north, you two go south. We'll hopefully find her soon," Ami said.

And with that, Makoto, Ami, and Naru headed into the thick woods, as well as Rei and Minako, hoping to find Usagi.

* * *

"I'm not scared, I'm not scared, I'm not scared, I'm not scared..." Usagi repeated over and over again. "It's okay... I'm fine. Just don't look back... Just--"

A howl.

Usagi jumped at the sound. "Rei-chan... didn't mention anything about... _wolves_..."

A crackle.

Usagi whirled around. The bushes were swaying back and forth in the wind. She peered over it and was about to yelp and run, but it was just a fluffy bunny hopping around.

"Awh! You're so cute!" Usagi cooed. "Are you lost too? Don't worry; you're not the only one. I'm lost as well. And to be honest with you, these woods are creepy... just like in the horror movies!"

The bunny blinked a few times and twitched its ear, and then hopped off in the distance.

Usagi sighed. "Oh well. Looks like it actually wasn't lost after all," she looked up. "Wait a minute... which way did I come from...? Oh...no..." Her head whirled around every which way. She pouted. "I shouldn't of challenged Rei-chan for something so stupid! I want to go home!!"

* * *

"Any sign?" Ami asked, peering over a nearby tree.

"Nope... nothing here," Naru informed as she checked behind a large bush.

"Me either..." Makoto sighed. "This is really stupid. We told her not to do that! You know she gets scared at the drop of a hat!"

"But that was the point," Ami began. "She wanted to prove that she _wasn't._"

"But this is just plain ridiculous! She and Rei are always competing for some stupid thing, why did she have to get _this_ carried away?" Makoto groaned.

"I agree with Makoto," Naru said. "They are always competing each other. Like that time at lunch when they wanted to see who could chug their soda the fastest and they both ended up spitting it all back up!"

Makoto nodded, eyes scanning the woods intently. "Right."

Ami sighed. "I guess we just can't help it. They're going to be like that for the rest of their lives. C'mon, let's check over in this area, it's more surrounded with bushes and trees."

The two nodded and headed over to the bushy area, desperately trying to find Usagi.

* * *

"EWH! _Ugh_, there was a huge, fat bug on my leg!" Minako screeched.

Rei rolled her eyes, a smirk making its way on her face. "You really aren't an outdoor person, are you?"

Minako shrugged, slapping a beetle off her arm. "Well, I don't mind going outside, I just hate the..." she paused to shoo a fly away from her face, "...bugs."

Rei laughed a little. "They don't bother me that much. I don't scream at the sight of a spider."

Minako scrunched her nose and furrowed her eyebrows and formed a 'that's gross!' face. "Ugh, I don't know how you do it. All bugs disgust me. How do you think I felt sitting through that movie about bugs in science class! Blah!" she folded her arms in front of her chest.

Rei chuckled a little. Then her face hardened as she looked straight ahead.

"What?" Minako asked. "What's wrong?"

Rei narrowed her eyes. "That's odd..."

"_What_? What's so odd?" Minako asked impatiently.

"It feels like we've already been here. Let's... just keep going ahead," Rei suggested.

Minako huffed and trudged along with Rei. Minutes passed until Rei halted to a stop.

"Oh-no," was the only word she croaked out.

"'Oh-no'? Oh God, Rei, don't tell me we're lost! That's all we need are three people missing now!" Minako groaned.

"Don't worry, we'll get out eventually!" Rei defended.

Minako's jaw hung open. "'Eventually'? Eventually can mean hours! Days! Months!" she gasped. "And what if we're stuck here forever and we have to live on bamboo trees and bugs until one day we become so hungry that that eat each other!"

"That's not going to happen, Minako!" Rei rolled her eyes. "Either way, there're no bamboo trees in these woods."

"Than that's a quicker chance for us to viciously eat each other!" Minako panicked.

"Will you just _stop_ worrying?! We're going to be _fine_! No one is going to eat anyone! Let me just think of another way to get out of here..." Rei paused and sighed in frustration. "We better just wait here. Ami, Makoto, and Naru shouldn't be too far away."

* * *

Usagi clutched onto her grumbling stomach and whined impatiently. "Wahhh! I'm so hungry! I need something to eat..." she sighed and continued to walk along the dirt road. "I don't know what I'm going to do... I'm so lost in these woods... I'm never going to get back to the-- Ouch!!"

Usagi tripped over what she was expecting to be a log or tree branch, but was actually a bag filled with clothes and snacks. She saw a lot of those--six to be specific. It took Usagi a few seconds to realize that she was back at the camp.

But it was only her.

"Uh-oh... they probably went looking for me..." Usagi bit her bottom lip nervously. "Maybe I should just stay here... But if I do, then they'll still be looking for me until we have to leave. I should probably just go looking for them again..."

she managed to compose her hunger to get up and look for the five friends. She hoped she was doing the right thing.

* * *

"That's it... I give up... We should probably head back to Rei and Minako now. There's no possible sign of Usagi anywhere," Makoto said.

Ami sighed. "We can't give up yet. What if Usagi's way further in the woods? We can't just abandon her."

"Maybe she's back at the camp. Let's go look. Makoto's right, we've been looking for hours. Let's just go back. Maybe Rei and Minako found her already, anyway."

Ami pondered at the thought, and then finally gave in to her friends' request. They began to walk back to the camp. Minutes later, they finally arrived at the camp, hoping to find Usagi there.

"Usagi?" Makoto cried. "Are you here?"

"Usagi-chan?' Ami called.

Naru sighed. "I don't think she's here, guys..."

Makoto rubbed her temples. "Now what? She's probably still in the woods. We should find Rei and Minako now. They've probably found her by now."

* * *

"Rei, as you can see, this clearly isn't working." Minako pouted.

"Just give it more time. I'm sure they're on their way over now," Rei said.

There was a noise. It sounded like someone was shuffling through the trees and bushes. Minako's eyes narrowed. "Rei... I think someone..." she gulped, "...or something is there..."

Rei slowly walked over to where the noise was coming from.

"Rei, no!" Minako hissed. "What if it's an animal?!"

But Rei ignored Minako's panicking and kept walking slowly to the moving bush. Her hand moved slowly to the tree branch and moved it so she could get a better look and...

"REI-CHAN!"

"Usagi?!"

"MINAKO-CHAN!"

"Usagi-chan?"

"Oh, God, you almost gave us a heart attack! Where were you, you baka?!" Rei said as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Okay, I can totally explain--"

"Rei? Minako?" came a voice.

Rei, Minako, and Usagi all turned around to find Makoto; Ami and Naru right behind her.

"Usagi-chan?" Ami asked, very confused. "We were just going to ask Rei and Minako if they found you. I guess they did."

Usagi scratched her head, for she, also, was now confused. "Okay, back up a minute..."

Rei sighed. "We split into groups and we went looking for you. Of course you ended up finding _us_."

"I knew that was the reason why you guys weren't at the camp," Usagi said.

"What? You were at the camp?" Naru asked, eyebrow cocked.

Usagi nodded. "I was lost in the woods, and then I ended up coming back to the camp. I realized that you guys weren't there, and I figured you were looking for me. So I went out again to look for you guys, and I ended up running into Rei-chan and Minako-chan."

"Well, good thing you did. 'Cause Rei and I were kinda lost too." Minako pouted. "I thought we were going to have to live on bugs until we become so hungry that we eat each--"

"Minako!" Rei hissed. "I told you that wasn't going to happen, and it didn't! So you can completely forget that theory!"

"What theory?" Usagi asked.

Rei rolled her eyes. "Never mind... We better get back to the camp," she looked at her watch. "It's already quarter to six, so we better get something to eat."

Usagi pouted. "Rei-chan... I'm sorry I ruined your camping-birthday party..."

Rei smirked. "It's fine. Just...don't compete with me again..." she paused. "...Because you know I'll win."

Usagi continued to pout and crossed her arms over her chest. "That's not true! I'm the one who found _you_! _You_ were the one who was lost!"

"So who do you think we were looking for the whole time? Your Great Aunt Maki?" Rei smirked.

"Rei-chan! I do _not_ have a Great Aunt Maki!" Usagi cried.

"Guys, guys, guys!" Naru held up her hand. "Can we please just get back now? I think I have at least fifty mosquito bites."

Rei chuckled. "Alright, that was enough excitement for one day. Let's get back."

"Um..." Ami began. "You know what I just noticed...?"

"What...?" Rei asked.

"We... never got the wood for out campfire..."

* * *

So, finally, the six friends gathered around the now lit campfire (Rei went and got a few small sticks and twigs not far into the woods). They ate marshmallows, told stories, and sang around the campfire (Minako and Usagi mostly did that part). Despite everything that happened today, they had a fun day. At around eight o'clock, Grandpa Hino came to pick them all up.

"Hey, girls! How was your day? Did you see any bears?" he laughed at his own joke.

Rei smirked. "No, we didn't see any bears, Grandpa. But we had a good time."

"Oh, that's good! You should do this more often, Rei!" Grandpa Hino smiled.

Rei chuckled. "Y'know what, Grandpa? I think _once and a blue moon_ would be fine."

"Oh, really? Why is that?" he asked.

"Let's just say... I'm better off having a regular birthday party from now on."

He laughed a little. "Why? Did ya get lost in the woods?"

Rei smiled and looked back at her five friends. "Yeah... I guess you can say that."


	24. Confessions

**A/N: Hey everyone! Ah, it's already the SECOND TO LAST chapter! How sad... But I hope you enjoy this one... there's going to be a lot of love haha! **

* * *

It was a rainy day in May. The six very grumpy friends were heading to science class in hopes for the rain to stop. But it continued to pour outside.

"Open your text books to page ninety-six! We have to review before exams start!" Mrs. Tenohamu cried.

Usagi pouted. "Exams? Ugh, man, I hate exams!"

"Relax, Usagi-chan, you and I can do bad together!" Minako said as her hand shot up in the air.

"Ah, how wonderful, Miss Aino would like to read for us today!" Mrs. Tenohamu said, grinning wickedly.

Minako looked over at her, blinking a few times, finally comprehending what she had to do.

Usagi leaned her elbow on her desk and placed her chin on her hand. She didn't want to listen to whatever Mrs. Tenohamu was discussing. She glanced to her right, and her eyes fell on Mamoru. A smile crept on her face as she admired him.

"_He looks so cute when he's concentrating..._" Usagi thought. Suddenly, she felt something poke her arm. She looked to her left to find that Minako was elbowing her.

"What?" Usagi hissed.

Minako gestured to her book and then to Mrs. Tenohamu. Usagi, quite puzzled, cocked her eyebrow and shrugged her shoulders.

Minako shook her head. "She called on you!" she hissed back.

Usagi's eyes widened. Oh, what did Mrs. Tenohamu have up her sleeve now?

"Y--yes?" Usagi stuttered.

"Can you tell me what magma turns into when it cools and dries?" Mrs. Tenohamu's lips were pursed.

"Uh..." _I know this one! I know this one!_ "Lava?"

Usagi could see Mrs. Tenohamu's eyes widen a little. "That is... correct, Miss Tsukino."

Usagi couldn't believe it herself. She grinned. "_Take that, Tenohamu!_"

Minako looked over at her, her mouth hung open. Usagi looked over at Mamoru again, who gave her two thumbs up. Usagi smiled sheepishly at him.

"_Mamo-chan gave me two thumbs up! He must be proud of me! Maybe if I just work a little bit harder, then he'll _really_ like me_!"

**11:30 lunch**

"Wow, Usagi-chan. I thought you would be stumped. After all, you were day dreaming again," Minako said as she slurped her juice box.

Usagi shrugged and tapped her head. "It's all hidden in here... somewhere."

Naru laughed. "You're right. See? It's not so bad if you just pay attention. It'll pay off. Right, Ami-chan?"

Ami smiled. "Right! Do you feel confident about studying now, Usagi-chan?"

"Er... I wouldn't go _that _far Ami-chan!" Usagi giggled. "But I noticed Mamo-chan give me two thumbs up when I got it right! So maybe... just with a little bit of luck, I'll work harder and Mamo-chan will be proud of me!"

"That's good Usagi. But working hard doesn't just come from luck, it comes from trying your best and never giving up... not to sound too cheesy," Rei grinned.

Usagi nodded. "You're right, Rei-chan! So now I'm going to work hard and make Mamo-chan proud!"

"Who are you and what have you done with Tsukino Usagi?" Naru laughed.

"But Usagi! What about me? We always to bad on tests and exams together!" Minako pouted.

"I'm sorry, Minako-chan... But if this means making Mamo-chan like me more, then I have to do it! But I promise that we'll do badly on a test soon," Usagi said as she placed her hand on Minako's shoulder.

Minako shrugged. "Oh well... I suppose so. But I guess I'll try hard on my exams too."

"That's the spirit, everyone!" Ami said.

"This sure makes Ami happy," Rei chuckled.

"What about you, Mako-chan?" Naru asked. "Mako-chan?"

Makoto still had all of her food in front of her. She just sat staring and picking at her food.

"Mako-chan?" Ami asked in a puzzled tone.

She blinked. "Huh? What?"

"You were dazed for a minute," Rei informed. "Are you okay?"

Makoto nodded vigorously and smiled a little. "Sure! Sure, I'm fine!"

"AH! I know who you were staring at!" Minako tried hiding her giggles. "You were staring at Motoki-kun!"

Makoto blushed hotly. "N-No!"

"Yes you were, Mako-chan! Don't deny it!" Usagi giggled with Minako.

"Well, what about you, Usagi? Drooling over Mamoru-san in science class isn't very good!" Makoto defended.

Usagi pouted. "Like I said, I'm going to do better from now on!"

"Well, it's not a very good start...! And F.Y.I, I was certainly not staring at Motoki-kun...! I was just..." she trailed off.

"Usagi!" Rei hissed. "You shouldn't be putting pressure on Mako-chan like that!"

Usagi's jaw hung open. "Don't get mad at me when I was just stating a fact!"

"Stating a fact...?" Makoto repeated.

"And it was Minako-chan who opened her mouth first!" Usagi pointed in Minako's direction.

"You went along with it, Usagi!" Minako cried.

"But I didn't start it!"

"You should've stopped joking around with her!"

"You said--"

"_Enough!_" Ami shouted. All eyes fell on her.

She blushed. "Y-You guys need to stop...!"

"Ami's right, enough of this crap," Naru folded her arms in front of her. "Put yourselves in Mako-chan's position!"

Usagi and Minako's heads hung. "Sorry," they said simultaneously.

Makoto shook her head. "No, it's okay," she smiled slightly, grabbed her lunch tray, stood up, and headed outside.

* * *

"Usagi-chan... what exactly are you doing...?" Minako asked as Usagi gathered all of her school books outside while they were at recess.

"I'm studying!" she announced happily.

"Studying? For what?" Naru asked.

"Exams, silly!" she said while grabbing her heavy history book and opening it to a chapter.

"Exams aren't until two weeks, Usagi. You don't need to start studying _now_," Ami said, her eyes scanning the huge book.

Usagi laughed. "Well, isn't this what smart people do? They get a head start! Which is what I'm doing!"

"You're not going to remember all this two weeks later!" Rei cried. "You barely remember what you did yesterday!"

Usagi pouted. "Rei-chan!"

"Okay, okay, okay... _please,_ let's stop this now before it turns into a fight," Minako said.

Naru nodded. "Just let Usagi do what she wants to for now," she grinned. "Maybe we'll luck out and she _will_ do well on the exams."

"Now that is something I hope I live long to see!" Rei laughed.

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Rei-chan, you're just jealous of my lack of stupidity lately."

Rei's jaw hung open. "What is _that _supposed to mean?!"

"Well, y'know, it won't kill you to try and work a little harder on your tests..." Usagi folded her arms in front of her.

"Oh, looks whose talking!"

"_Stop_!" Naru squeaked. "I've had enough of this arguing. Usagi, just... do what you have to do and Rei leave her alone."

"Fine," Usagi said. "That's what I've been _trying _to do..."

Rei ignored the last comment. "Whatever... just do what you want."

"Thank you," said Usagi. "Now, I'm going to be working on history first. Maybe it won't be as hard as it looks."

Minako scratched her head. "Eh... to be honest with you, Usagi, it looks hard, and it kinda _is_ hard--"

Rei clasped her hand over Minako's mouth. "Don't say anything to break this moment! Or else Usagi's enthusiasm will ware off," she grinned.

"Rei-chan!" Usagi whaled.

"Not again..." Ami muttered.

"Odango?"

Usagi whirled around, her blonde pig-tails swaying. "What? Oh...! Mamo-chan!" she squealed happily.

"Oi," he smiled brightly. He looked down at the books thrown on the ground. "Uh... what're those for?"

Usagi's eyes trailed down to where Mamoru's were. "Oh! These things... Yeah, I'm getting a head start with my exams!"

"Oh," Mamoru said.

"Maybe we should leave the two love birds alone for a bit," Minako suggested.

"Yeah, we should find Mako-chan as well," Ami said.

"Let's get out of here before it gets mushy and cheesy," Rei rolled her eyes.

Naru laughed. "I'm with you in that category, Rei-chan."

And with that, they went off to find Makoto. Meanwhile, Usagi and Mamoru were busy discussing.

"Usagi, what's really with the books? This is so... not like you," Mamoru said, eyes locked on Usagi.

"It's nothing...! It's just that I wanted to get a head start, that's all." Usagi crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Usagi... studying...? It's a little bit weird..." Mamoru said.

Usagi's eyes trailed to the ground. Mamoru, noticing her reaction, quickly caught himself.

"I-I-mean... Y'know, you're not a big fan of studying, that's all...! That didn't come out right, Usagi, I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "No, it's okay," she looked up at him. "To be honest with you, Mamo-chan, I'm doing this for... you."

Mamoru blinked, clearly confused at Usagi's confession.

"When I got that answer right in science class, you gave me two thumbs up... I thought that from now on if I did well on tests and exams that you would appreciate me more... I want you to be proud of me and not be ashamed..." Usagi couldn't look at Mamoru at this point. Her eyes filled with hot tears. _Baka, Usagi! Stop it...!_

Before Usagi could even realize what would happen next, Mamoru embraced her. "Usagi... don't ever think that you're not good enough for me. I love you just the way you are!"

* * *

Usagi's eyes widened and she hugged him back. "Thank you, Mamo-chan..."

"What do you think is going on over there?" Naru asked, peering behind a bush in the school yard.

"I dunno... I can't hear from over here! Darn!" Minako cursed.

"Guys... this is wrong... we shouldn't be spying on Mako-chan like this! It's rude!" Ami hissed.

"Relax, Ami. Haven't you thought that it's not fair to us how Makoto and Usagi lave love and we don't? We need some action, here," Rei said.

"Yeah! We're like the four loveless musketeers!" Minako cried.

"Shhh! I think I can hear a little better! Listen..." Naru said.

"So... what's up?" Motoki asked as he and Makoto leaned against the fence.

Makoto cleared her throat. "Uh... nothing, really. How are you?"

Motoki shrugged. "Nah, nothing for me."

Makoto nodded, not knowing what else to say. A couple minutes went by and they still hadn't spoken... and the 'four loveless musketeers' were getting impatient.

"Ugh! _Why_ aren't they talking anymore?!" Minako tapped her foot impatiently. "That's it, I'm going to help Makoto out--"

"No! That'll just make it worse for her! She gets... tense whenever she's with Motoki and it doesn't help when we butt in like that. Let's just give them some time," Rei said.

"Rei-chan's right. Let's give them some time," Naru agreed.

"Time? There's no _time_ when it comes to love! You have to build up the relationship! There's no time for that!" Minako protested.

"But building a relationship _does_ take time," Ami suddenly spoke.

Rei nodded. "Right. Let's just wait and see what's going to happen next..."

"So," Makoto continued. "Are you staying next you as well?"

Motoki nodded. "Yeah, I am. Are you?"

Makoto simply nodded. She bit her bottom lip nervously. "_What am I supposed to say now? This awkward silence is getting on my nerves!_ _Maybe I should just say what I have to say and leave... I'm probably making him uneasy too..."_

"Uh... Motoki-kun?" Makoto gulped.

He turned to face her.

"I... I... well... You know, we've been friends for a long time and... I...I... Ilikeyou," she said quickly.

Motoki's eyebrow cocked. "I-I'm sorry, I missed that last part..."

Makoto sighed, trying to clam the butterflies in her stomach. "I said... I... like... you..."

Minako's eyes bulged. "OH MY G--"

"SHHH!" Ami, Naru, and Rei hissed.

"Sorry..." Minako whispered.

Motoki blinked, and then smiled. "You shouldn't have worried so much."

"W-What?"

He chuckled. "Because I like you too. I thought it was pretty obvious, but..."

"O-Oh..."

He smiled again, and Makoto smiled back. And finally, then school bell rang and it was time to head back inside.

Motoki held out his hand towards Makoto. "May I?"

Makoto stared at his hand for a moment, then smiled and took his hand on hers before heading in the school.

* * *

"WHAT?!" the five friends cried.

Usagi nodded. "Yep! I've decided not to worry about exams anymore!"

"W-Why, though?! You were so determined! What's with the sudden change?" Rei asked.

Usagi grinned, thinking of what Mamoru had said to her. "Nothing, really."

"Usagi-chan! I'm so happy! It's going to be like the old days again! We'll do badly together!" Minako said as she fake cried.

"Yes, Minako-chan! We can do badly together!"

"But what about all of the enthusiasm? I really thought you were going to go for it..." Ami said sadly.

"I'm sorry, Ami-chan. But Tsukino Usagi can't change _that _quickly!" Usagi giggled.

"And what about you, Mako-chan?" Minako asked, pretending that she didn't know what happened with her and Motoki.

"Oh...! Uh... nothing..." she smiled a little at the thought of when she held hands with him. Kino Makoto felt good. She was happy that she told Motoki how she felt, and her conscience was finally clear.


	25. Hard to Say Goodbye

**A/N: The final chapter... How sad! But don't be sad, I will be posting one MORE final chapter after this: 'Bonus Chapter: Usagi's Birthday Bash!' So stay tuned! (Special thanks are at the end of the fic!)**

* * *

June fifteenth... the last day of school. Usagi trudged into the school yard with a pout plastered on her face. She clearly did not want to leave school yet.

She sighed. "Another year... gone. Where does time go?"

"Good morning, Usagi-chan!"

Usagi turned around to find a smiling Ami standing behind her.

"Oh... Ami-chan. Morning..." Usagi muttered.

Ami cocked her eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"Ami-chan, it's the last day of school already! How can _you,_ of all people, not be sad?"

Ami shrugged. "It's actually a good thing. Once we leave sixth grade, we'll be older and be promoted to seventh grade! Isn't that great?"

"Ami, you're not getting my point here!" Usagi sighed. "I understand it's finally summer and everything, but that means we won't be able to see each other as often anymore!"

Ami nodded slowly. "I suppose. But Usagi, it's not like we're in Kindergarten, we can have play dates and sleepovers."

"Hm..." Usagi placed her index finger on her chin. "I suppose you're right about that part. But what about... you-know-who?"

Ami's eyes trailed to the floor, clearly showing that she didn't know who 'you-know-who' was.

Usagi huffed. "Mamoru!"

Ami blinked. "Oh! Oh... well, I'm not really sure, Usagi-chan. Summer goes by quickly, y'know. I'm sure you'll see him soon."

Usagi folded her arms in front of her. "I guess it doesn't matter... Maybe you're right. I'm sure I'll see him soon."

"That's the spirit!"

"But what about Mako-chan and Motoki-kun? They're just so crazy about each other that-- Ohhh!" Usagi began to break into a fit of giggles. "They're so crazy for each other that I bet Motoki will come and see her in the middle of the night and--"

"Usagi-chan!" Ami cut her off. Her face was bright red. "You shouldn't say something like that!"

"Well, it's true!"

"What's true?"

Usagi whirled around, afraid to know if that was Makoto.

And it was.

"Oh! Oh... uh... Mako-chan! You're... here already..." Usagi glanced over at Ami, whose face was still red.

"I could say the same to you," Makoto chuckled. "It's already the last day, huh?"

Usagi nodded quickly." Y-Yeah! Already, huh, Ami-chan?"

"Oh... uh... yes..."

Makoto looked over at Ami. "Why is your face so red?"

Ami blinked. "Oh...! Well, y'know..." a pause. "...The uh... heat! Yeah! The heat really gets to me a lot..."

Makoto's eyes narrowed. "I... see..."

"Usagi! We're over here!" cried a voice.

"Hey! That sounds like Naru-chan!" Usagi smiled. Usagi, Ami, and Makoto followed where the voice was coming from, which eventually leaded them to where Naru, Rei and Minako where.

"Hey, you guys are all here!" Makoto said.

Minako nodded. "Yep, yep! The three of us walked into the yard together," she pouted. "I can't believe it's the last day!"

Usagi groaned. "I know! We're not going to be able to make fun of Mrs. Tenohamu until September!"

"Yeah, I'll miss that," Minako smirked.

"I'm happy it's finally the last day," Rei crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Being a sixth grader makes you feel so stupid!"

"Yeah," Naru began. "Since we were technically the 'babies' of middle school."

"Hm, I guess I'm the only one who is worrying about not seeing you guys as much in the summer..." Usagi said.

"Awh, don't worry, Usagi. We'll see each other plenty. I guarantee you that we'll see you so much this summer that you'll get sick of us," Minako smiled reassuringly.

"Well, okay, then. Yeah, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about! You're right, everyone. Sorry if I was overreacting."

"It wouldn't be you if you didn't overreact, Usagi," Rei grinned.

"Rei-chan!" Usagi tried to make a pissed-off face, but it came out looking like she smelled something gross.

"Rei and Usagi will continue to bicker like this until the day they die," Makoto said.

"I guess some things never change," Minako stated.

**11:45 lunch**

_USAGI'S POV_

"Can I?" I pleaded.

"No."

"Please?"

"Nope."

I sighed dramatically. "Plea--"

Makoto shook her head. "Nope. Sorry, Usagi."

"But it looks so good! How do you make it?"

"I use something called a _recipe_."

I pouted. "You don't have to be sarcastic!"

Makoto rolled her eyes. "Fine... Have some."

"Really?! YEAH!" I grabbed a piece of Makoto's home-made cupcake and stuffed it in my mouth. "It's _so_ good!"

She laughed a little. "That's enough, though. I have to save some for myself, y'know."

"Usagi, can't you let Makoto eat in peace without you hovering over her like a hawk?" Rei spat.

I stuck my tongue out at her. "You're just jealous because I got a piece of Mako-chan's cupcake!"

"I am not! What idiot would be jealous about that?"

"...Some people."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Now, now, pipe down you two. We don't want to start anything on the last day of school," Minako said.

"Gosh, it's like a disease, they're always arguing like that," Naru pouted.

"It's not like we argue because we hate each other," I said through mouthfuls of Makoto's cupcake. "We just do it cause... Well... we really don't even know ourselves."

Makoto looked down at her now little piece of cupcake that was left. "Usagi... you kinda..." she sighed. "Y'know what, Usagi? You can finish my cupcake."

"Really?! Okay!" I grabbed the little piece that was left near Makoto's lunch tray. It only took me a few seconds to finish it. My friends stared at me, their eyes wide.

Ami cleared her throat. "Um... Usagi-chan, you're mouth is full of--"

But I had already gone up to throw away my trash. I was about to walk back to my seat when I saw Haruka and Michiru sitting by themselves in their usual seat.

I approached them. "Hi!" I chirped.

"Oh, hey, Odan--" Haruka snorted.

I tilted my head to the side. "What is it?"

Michiru cleared her throat and wiped her mouth with her napkin. Was she referencing to something?

Haruka was now fully laughing. She clutched her stomach as she tried to talk. "You're... face... covered... frosting...!"

But I still didn't get it.

"What? What is it?"

Michiru chuckled. "You... uh... need a napkin, Usagi."

I blinked, placing my fingers on my mouth to see what they were talking about.

"Oh!" I squeaked.

Haruka laughed, handing me a clean napkin. "There you go."

I blushed. "Th-Thanks..." I wiped my frosting-covered mouth and turned back to them. "Sorry."

Haruka wiped her teary eyes, probably from laughing so hard I thought. "It's okay. Are you having a feast for the last day of school over there or something?"

"Uh... no. I had one of Mako-chan's cupcakes. It was really good! And I was only supposed to take a little, but then I kinda got carried away and..." I paused. "Well, you'd understand if you ever try her cupcakes."

Michiru nodded, glancing over at Haruka once more. "I see."

"But anyway," I began. "Are you excited? Today's the last day! Time sure flies, huh?"

Haruka sighed. "It sure does."

"Are you two coming back next year?" I asked.

"Yeah, of course. It's a nice school with a nice atmosphere and..." Michiru trailed off.

I smiled warmly. "Good! I'm glad."

"Usagi!" Rei called "We're heading outside now!"

"I'm coming!" I called back. "It was nice talking to you again! I'll see ya round!" and I ran off to ketch up with my friends.

**XX**

We headed outside for recess... for the last time. I found it a little weird since we won't be seeing this school yard for three months straight. I followed my friends outside near the fence, our usual place to hang out. Ugh, here they go again... torturing poor Mako-chan. And by 'they' I mean Minako-chan. I listened to what they were saying to her for a brief moment.

"Ne, Mako-chan..." Minako began. "Are you gonna give a nice juicy kiss goodbye to Motoki-kun?"

"Wh-What?! No! Are you crazy?" she defended.

"So you say so..." a smile crept on her face. "But I know you will."

"I will do no such thing!" Makoto's face was a light shade of pink.

"You at least have to give him a hug," Naru said.

"Well... I don't know..."

"I am putting my foot down! You have to hug him, and that's final, Mako-chan!" Minako cried.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't worry... I'll do something."

"Yay!" Minako squealed.

I also rolled my eyes. Poor Mako-chan. I couldn't take one more second listening to them, because I know for a fact that Minako-chan would come and attack me with crap about me and Mamo-chan as well. So that's when I decided to head off by myself for a bit. I just wanted to clear my mind.

Naru looked around. "Where did Usagi go? She was with us a minute ago..."

"I'm sure she's just walking around the school yard, she'll show up," Rei said.

Meanwhile, I wasn't _just_ walking around the school yard aimlessly; I was in search for Mamoru. My eyes scanned the school yard for him, trying to find some sort of clue where he was. But I didn't need a clue, because there he was, leaning against the fence on the opposite end where we usually hang out.

I skipped over to him. "Hey!"

He smiled that gorgeous smile I loved. "Hi, Usagi," he paused. "Excited school's over?"

"_Almost_," I corrected. "And... well, a little I guess."

"You guess? Of all people I thought you would be excited... well, you and Minako I suppose," he chuckled.

I grinned. "Why? Are _you_ excited, Mamo-chan?"

"Oh...! Well... Yeah. I mean, we'll be seventh graders finally."

I nodded slowly. "I suppose..."

He cleared his throat. "Hey, uh... Usagi?"

I looked up at him, giving my best puppy dog eyes.

"I... really had a good year with you this year... With the middle school dance and everything... It was uh... fun."

I smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I had a good time too."

He smiled lightly and then leaned in to plant a kiss on my cheek. My eyes widened in shock, and my cheeks were burning red. I looked at him once more.

"I'll see ya round, buns-head," and with his final words, he left.

I stood in the middle of the school yard, my hand rising to the cheek that he had kissed. I smiled to myself. "I love you, Mamo-chan..." I whispered softly.

**XX**

"Ne, Usagi-chan, where were you at recess?" asked a very concerned Naru. "We totally lost track of you. It's the last day, after all. We should all be together."

Guilt flew over Usagi at that moment. "I'm sorry, everyone. I didn't mean to take off like that."

A sly grin crept on Minako's face. "So, where were you? Secretly s_omewhere_ doing _something_ with _someone_?"

Usagi flinched. "No, Mina-chan."

She shrugged. "It's a possibility..."

"Definitely not..." Usagi muttered.

"C'mon, Minako, I think everyone's sick of those jokes by now. You're been saying things like that since the beginning of the year," Rei folded her arms in front of her.

Minako playfully stuck her tongue out at Rei, while Rei simply rolled her eyes.

"Well, Mako-chan, when do you plan on heading over to Motoki?" Naru asked.

Makoto blushed, suddenly finding the floor more interesting. "When I have time."

"You have time now! You should go now!" Minako commanded.

"Guys, you shouldn't put pressure on Mako-chan..." Ami spoke for the first time.

Minako rolled her eyes. "Oh Ami-chan, we're not putting _pressure _on Mako-chan! We're just..." she trailed off. "Anyway," she continued. "I'm suggesting that you do it now before it gets any later. It's already quarter to two! You have to hurry!"

Makoto sighed; cheeks still a light shade of pink. "Y-You're right... I'll talk to him..."

"Yata!" Minako cheered as she gave Makoto a little shove to go where Motoki was.

Makoto cleared her throat, prompting Motoki to look up. "Ah! Mako-chan! How are you? I can't believe it's that last day already!"

"Yeah, I know," was all Makoto said.

Motoki cocked an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

She blinked. "Y-Yes! I'm fine, totally."

He sighed. "Mako-chan, I know you like a book... something's up."

_He knows me like a book...?_ "Yeah... I mean, no... Nothing's wrong. It's just... I guess I'm a little tense."

"Tense?"

She nodded, chuckling a bit. "I know it sounds stupid but..." she sighed. "I just want to tell you how I feel..."

Motoki shifted uncomfortably in his seat, wanting to hear more.

"Uh...as you know I... _like_ you and... I just want you to know that you've been a good friend to me this year... and I appreciate all that you did for me..." she looked at the ground, afraid of what Motoki might say in reply.

He chuckled. "You're welcome, Mako-chan and..." Makoto looked up at him. "Don't be tense anymore... You shouldn't have to be tense in front of me," he smiled warmly at her.

Makoto returned the smile. "Thank you, Motoki-kun," and for the first time, Makoto didn't hesitate nor was she tense, she lightly embraced Motoki in her strong but delicate arms, and Motoki returned the hug happily. "...Thank you," she muttered.

**XX**

**2:10 p.m.**

"Well, everyone, I think this year was a success. Even when we bickered once and a while, I think it was a great year. What do you think?" Rei asked as the six friends sat in the classroom talking for the last time.

Ami nodded in agreement. "And we learned a lot!"

Naru sweat dropped. "Thank you for that comment, Ami-chan." she said sarcastically.

"So, what shall we do in out last moment of sixth grade?" Minako asked.

"Oh! I have an idea!" Usagi beamed. "Let's go around and discuss what our favorite thing we did this year was! I'll go first," she cleared her throat. "My favorite was when we went to the museum and I totally got lost!"

"How can we _ever_ forget that?" Rei rolled her eyes.

"Well, Rei-chan, since you made that nasty remark, what was your favorite part of this year?" Usagi grinned.

"My favorite was... when we went camping for my birthday party. And of course, Usagi got lost there as well," Rei snorted.

"Rei-chan!"

Rei ignored Usagi's cry of her name. "What about you, Minako?"

"I loved when Usagi and I thought Haruka-san was a boy! That was so funny!" she laughed at the thought. "Ne, Ami-chan?"

Ami placed her finger on her chin. "Hm... I guess I liked when I entered the spelling bee with Michiru-san. It was a tough competition, but it was enjoyable! What about you, Mako-chan?"

"I liked when I had that sleepover at my house and Usagi was _so_ afraid! We had loads of fun that night."

Usagi pouted. "But that story _was_ scary!"

"And finally, Naru-chan. What was your favorite part of this year?" Makoto asked curiously.

"My favorite part..." Naru pondered. "Oh! I liked when we celebrated New Year's at Usagi-chan's house. We all ate like pigs!"

Usagi laughed. "Oh, yeah! That was funny!"

**2:20 p.m.**

"In less than ten minutes the bell is gonna ring... is there anything anyone wants to get off their chest before we leave?" Naru asked.

There were shakes of heads and mumbles.

"Um!" Usagi squeaked. All eyes fell on her. "Uh... well, you see... when I wasn't there with you guys this afternoon, I was with Mamoru and..."

"AHA! I knew it!" Minako cried. "I _knew_ it!"

"R-Right..." she cleared her throat. "Well, what happened was, we were talking for a bit, then suddenly he... he kissed my cheek..."

"_WHAT?!_" they cried in disbelief.

"Why didn't you tell us before? Ugh, man, and that was so important too!" Minako groaned.

"I'm sorry! But I just didn't want to throw that randomly at you guys! I wanted to wait until the right opportunity! Please don't be mad!" Usagi clasped bother her hands together in a praying form.

"Just make sure you tell us next time! That was something us girls should discuss about!" Minako said.

"Ew, I don't want to know whose making-out with whom!" Rei spat.

"That's not my point, Rei-chan!" Minako pouted.

Rei opened her mouth to protest, but was interrupted by the sound of Mrs. Tenohamu's raspy voice. "Students! Quiet down! It's almost time to leave; the bell will be ringing soon, so once it rings, I want you all to head outside!"

"That's right, there's no time for arguing, guys," Makoto glared at Rei and Minako. "We lost track of time, it's already two twenty-eight!"

Usagi pouted. "Already? This day went by too quickly!"

"Make that two twenty-nine!" Minako grinned.

"The bell's going to ring in any minute. Are you guys ready?" Naru asked with anticipation.

"Seventh grade here we come!" Ami smiled.

_10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2..._

_RIIIIING! _

"SCHOOL'S OUT!" were the final words of the six friends as then charged out the door.

--Fin.

**A/N: THE END! Thank you so much for all those who reviewed from waaaay back when the friends were in kindergarten to all the way to the end of middle school.**

**Special thanks to the following two people to did so...**

**Richforce: All the 'nice job's and the 'great work's came in handy for me! Thank you!**

**SailorViolin: Thank you for staying with the friends till the end! You were always there when I needed advice about my fic. **

**And for all the others who reviewed--THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Stay tuned for the bonus chapter, guys!**

**Much love, **

**FoRgEtReGrEt525**


	26. Bonus Chapter: Usagi's Birthday Bash!

**A'N: I hope you all enjoy the bonus chapter! So sorry it took me soooo long to finish! It was a long bonus chapter hehe! Thanks to all again **

The birds chirping outside of Tsukino Usagi's window made her eyes open slightly.

_Chirp, chirp chirp_! 'Get up, birthday girl!' Usagi imagined them saying. She rose from her bed, rubbing her eyes and yawning loudly. Usagi glanced over at her calendar which read that today was in fact June 30th. She smiled to herself. Not only was it her birthday and she was turning another year older, she had her birthday party today as well. She was going to see all of her friends: the shy genius Mizuno Ami, the outgoing red-haired Osaka Naru, the stubborn raven-haired Hino Rei, the boy-crazy and blissful Aino Minako, and the tomboy but awesome baker Kino Makoto. But those weren't all of the people who she invited. Usagi giggled. "Can't forget Mamo-chan... and of course, Motoki-kun."

She then rose from her bed, stretching before practically bouncing down the stairs to greet her parents.

"Morning Mom! Morning Dad!" she chirped.

"Hey, sweetie!" Mr. Tsukino kissed her head. "How's the birthday girl?"

Usagi smiled. "Good, good! I'm really excited!" she looked back at her Mrs. Tsukino. "What's for breakfast?"

"Just for the birthday girl..." Mrs. Tsukino began. "I made you waffles with strawberries and whipped cream and bananas!"

Usagi beamed. "Oh boy, it looks so good!"

Mrs. Tsukino placed the dish on the table. "Dig in!"

Usagi wolfed down her delicious breakfast in a matter of minutes. She gulped down the last bit of her milk. "Thanks, Mama!" and she ran off.

Mr. Tsukino blinked in confusion. "I didn't even see her eat all that..."

**XX**

"Shingo, it's my birthday! Can you _please_ not annoy me today? Can't that be your birthday gift to me?" Usagi placed her hands on her hip. Oh, how she hated when her younger brother annoyed her.

Nine-year old Shingo Tsukino stuck his tongue out at Usagi. "It wouldn't be me if I didn't annoy you, Usagi!"

Usagi grunted. "I suppose so... But you can't be around when my friends come, got it?"

"Oh, don't you mean _Mamoru-san?_ Why don't you want me here? So I can't watch you two kiss?" Shingo smirked.

"That is _so_ not going to happen!" Usagi defended, blushing. "And like I just said, my _friends_ are coming! Not just Mamoru!"

Shingo shrugged. "Tsk, sure. I'm sure you two will sneak off sometime during the party and--"

Usagi fumed. "WHY, YOU LITTLE--!"

"Usagi! Shingo! Enough fighting! You have to get ready, Usagi. It's already eleven thirty," Mrs. Tsukino called from the kitchen.

Usagi's eyes bulged. "Oh no! It's that late already?! The party's at noon! Ah, I gotta get ready!" she glared at Shingo. "I _guarantee_ you I'll have the last laugh."

He smirked. "Sure, sure, if you say so."

Usagi rolled her eyes and sprinted up the stairs, trying to pick out the perfect outfit to wear. Something that Mamoru will like...

_No! Not for him! _Usagi shook her head at the thought. Seeing as she was wasting time talking to herself, she had to quickly shuffle through her many draws to try to find a perfect outfit to wear.

_Ding, Dong!_

_That can't be the bell already?!_ Usagi huffed, finally finding a good outfit.

"Oh, wow, you all are here right on time!" Mrs. Tsukino smiled warmly at the sight of the five friends. "Come on in, Usagi's upstairs getting ready. Make yourselves at home!" she headed back into the kitchen with Mr. Tsukino.

Rei sighed. "Typical Usagi... late for her own birthday party..."

Naru chuckled. "That's Usagi-chan for you."

"Hm... this is a cute place!" Minako said while observing the living room. "But she's missing something... Ah, of course!" she skipped over to where a small coffee table stood at the side next to the couch. "Right here should be a picture of her and Mamoru-san!"

Ami and Makoto sweat dropped. "Definitely..." Ami began.

"Not..." Makoto finished.

"I don't think so either, Mina-chan," someone chuckled. The five directed their attention to where the voice came from. And there Usagi stood at the bottom of the staircase beaming. "You guys haven't changed a bit!"

"Usagi!" they cried simultaneously.

Usagi gave them each a hug. "Ah, I missed you all!"

Rei smirked. "It's only been fifteen days straight, Usagi."

She laughed. "It seems like forever to me."

"So, _U-sa-gi... _when's Mamoru-san coming?" Minako grinned.

Usagi blushed. "Uh... I dunno... whenever he wants to I guess..."

"And what about you, Mako-chan? Do you know when Motoki is coming?" Minako's blonde eyebrow rose.

"No...! Why would I...?"

"Why wouldn't you know when your _boyfriend_ is coming?" Naru joined in.

Makoto flushed. "He is _not_ my boyfriend!"

Usagi couldn't tell if Makoto face was red because she was embarrassed or if it was because she was really angry. She decided to just lay off if she knew what was good for her.

"Okay! Why don't we _drop this subject_ and we can move on?" Usagi emphasized as she glared at Minako and Naru.

"Y-Yes, good idea," Ami began. "Usagi-chan, where should we put your presents?"

"Um... you can just place them on the couch over there. Thanks so much, everyone! You really didn't have to get me anything!" Usagi said.

Rei rolled her eyes. "Usagi, it's your birthday party, it would be stupid if we didn't get you anything."

"I know, but..." she trailed off.

_Ding, dong!_

"AH! I know who that is!" Minako sang.

Usagi blushed. Shhh!" she hissed as she headed over to the door. She grabbed the doorknob, hands cold and clammy. Butterflies danced around in her stomach nervously. She gulped and finally opened the door, revealing Mamoru and Motoki smiling broadly with presents in their hands.

"Hey, Usagi," Motoki greeted making his way in the house.

Mamoru smiled. "Hi buns."

"H-Hey..." Usagi blushed.

Mamoru cleared his throat. "So..."

Usagi blinked. "Oh! Oh, come on in! S-Sorry..."

"Nah, it's okay," he said as he stepped inside.

"Hey, Mamoru-san," Minako grinned. "Did you give Usagi a _proper_ greeting?"

Usagi, hearing what Minako had said, slammed the door loudly, causing all conversations to stop abruptly and turn towards her. Realizing that all eyes had fallen on her, she cleared her throat and twirled her long, blonde pig tails nervously.

"Well... uh... let the party begin!"

**XX**

An hour had flown by, and it was already cake time. The friends all sat around the table with their mouths watering.

"Okay, here comes the cake!" Mrs. Tsukino said while carrying the giant cake in her hands. "Everyone sing!"

"_Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Usagi! Happy birthday to you!_"

Usagi leaned in to blow all twelve candles out. Everyone clapped and cheered and all was merry until...

"Hey, Usagi, what did you wish for? I bet you wished that you would be with Mamoru-san forever!" Shingo burst into laughter.

Usagi fumed. "SHINGO!"

Shingo stuck his tongue out and ran off. Usagi huffed. "Ugh, that evil little fraud! I'm so going to get him back," she looked over at Mamoru. "I'm so sorry... he's just a little twitch is all... Just ignore him."

Mamoru chuckled. "It's okay. I'm uh... kinda used to being teased like that. As a matter of fact, it's getting really old."

Usagi giggled. "Yeah, I'll say."

"So, if that wasn't what you wished for, what was it?" he asked.

"I wished... that we would all be friends no matter what. I couldn't imagine us all breaking apart somehow," Usagi smiled.

He returned the smile. "You're right, I couldn't. And I don't think we ever will."

"I'm sure you're right, Mamo-chan."

**XX**

It was Makoto's turn to get a piece of the delicious marble cake. She grabbed the knife, but without realizing, accidentally grabbed Motoki's hand as well. Her eyes bulged when Motoki turned around to draw his attention to who had grabbed his hand like that. His eyes trailed up to Makoto, whose face was like a fresh tomato; nice and red. She swiftly drew her hand back to her side.

"S-Sorry...!" she squeaked. _He probably had his hand on the knife because he was getting a piece of the cake too! Oh, God, can this get any more embarrassing?_

That's when Makoto saw Minako come dancing happily over to her with a huge smirk on her face.

_Oh yes, it definitely can... _she thought

"Well, _hello _Mako-chan, Motoki-kun," she looked over at Motoki, who simply gave her a little wave. "How are you?"

Makoto tensed. What did she have up her sleeve now...? "Fine," she said simply.

But Minako's grin got bigger each passing second. Had she seen? Tsk, what a dumb question that was.

"Excuse me, Motoki," Makoto grabbed Minako's wrist and dragged her over to the living room. "Are you a freakin' stalker?!"

Minako blinked. "What?"

"You saw, right?"

She giggled. "Of course!"

Makoto rolled her eyes. "Are you literally watching my every move?"

Minako shrugged. "I wouldn't put it watching your every move, but just simply... looking at you every second!"

Makoto sweat dropped. "You have got to be kidding me..."

Minako laughed. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'm just a little bit worried about you two is all."

"Worried?"

Minako shook her head. "Ah, never mind. Now let's get back in there before all the cake is gone! Knowing Usagi-chan, she's probably on her third piece already!"

Makoto smirked, letting her muscles relax. "Sure."

**XX**

Minako skipped back over to her original seat in the dining room next to Naru and Rei.

"Ah, finally, cake time!" she squealed.

Rei cocked her eyebrow. "Where were you?"

"Hm? Oh, I was just talkin' to Mako-chan."

"About...?" Naru wanted to hear more.

"Her love life of course!"

Rei rolled her eyes and placed her fork on her dish. "Minako... how many times are we supposed to tell you? It's not like their _together;_ they just both have feelings for each other!"

"Well, you just don't call it 'they have feeling for each other' it's called _boyfriend and girlfriend!_" she defended.

"I don't believe this..." Rei muttered.

"What's there not to get?" asked Minako.

Rei sighed, temper rising. "Just forget it..."

Minako simply shrugged, turning her attention to Naru. "Have you seen Ami-chan?"

"Oh! Ah, I saw her scurrying around earlier... I'm not sure where she went though."

**XX**

Ami sat with her fork in her right hand and a book in her other hand. Yes, even at birthday parties, Ami _reads_.

"GRRR! SHINGO COME BACK HERE!" Ami heard Usagi cry. She looked up from her book, her ocean-blue eyes looking over at Usagi running around the dinner table trying to ketch up with Shingo.

"What's the matter, Usagi? You getting too old to run anymore?" Shingo remarked.

"Be quiet Shingo! That's such a lie!" Usagi yelled back.

Shingo ran around Ami's seat and upstairs up to his room. Usagi huffed and stopped in front of Ami's seat.

"That little brat!"

Ami chuckled. "I guess even on your birthday Shingo will bother you."

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Ami-chan. It's his _nature_ to make fun of me. It's on a daily basis."

"Oh..."

Usagi cocked her eyebrow. "What are you doing reading during a party?"

Ami blinked. "Oh... well, I just wanted to read while I ate the cake."

"What are you reading?"

"Einstein's discoveries and how people thought he belonged in a mental institute because they thought that he could never accomplish such immense--"

"Okay, Ami-chan, what did we talk about? No big words in front of Usagi, remember?" she smirked and Ami laughed a little. "C'mon, it's a _party,_ not a book club. I'm sure you'll have time to read later on, Ami-chan. Right now, let's just have fun!"

Ami smiled broadly "Sure thing! Except..."

Usagi cocked her eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

"...I'm almost done with this chapter... Can I finish it?"

"Well, how many more pages are there?"

"Fifty-seven!"

Usagi twitched. "Don't you mean you just _started?_"

Ami shook her head. "No, not at all."

Usagi sweat dropped. "Oh, boy..."

**XX**

After cake, the friends all settled down to play a few games. With only two hours left, they all wanted to celebrate Usagi's birthday with a bang.

"Okay, everyone. This is an original game that we've all played before. It's called duck-duck-goose," Usagi said.

"What are we four?" Rei spat.

Usagi's grin grew even wider. "Oh, Rei-chan, you'll see the way _I _play it. Since you made that remark, would you have the honors to be my demonstration?"

Rei snorted. "Tsk, sure."

All seven friends sat down in a circle while Usagi stood behind Rei with a devilish grin plastered on her face. Little did Rei know what was coming for her...

_SPLAH!_

Usagi had a cup full of water and had dumped it on Rei. Poor Rei was dripping from head to toe with her arms folded in front of her chest. Usagi thought she was going to explode, for she was a little bit scared herself...

"USAGI!" Rei cried. Usagi was ready for the stomping and the cursing. But instead, Rei burst into laughter. Usagi was a little surprised at the reaction, but she decided to laugh along as well as the other friends. Finally, after a minute or two of laughter, they finally grew sober and Usagi continued:

"Okay, as you can see, it's a little bit different than your average duck-duck-goose."

"Ohhh! This should be fun!" Minako squealed. She looked over at Makoto. "Ne, ne, Mako-chan, go give Motoki a big splash!"

Makoto rolled her eyes and muttered something about not doing such an immature thing.

"Okay, then, let the game... _begin!_" Usagi announced. She handed Rei a cup full of water as she grinned evilly and walked around the circle, like a wolf circling its prey.

"Duck... duck... duck..." Rei said as she lightly tapped each of their heads. "Duck... duck..." she paused in front of Ami, who had her eyes tightly closed shut. Rei smirked and continued to walk, "...duck... duck... duck... GOOSE!!"

_SPLASH!_

Water poured all over Minako, causing her to scream. Rei roared with laughter as Minako chased her around the room. Running towards Minako's seat, she fell her to hands and knees and finally plopped her butt on the floor. Minako huffed dramatically and glared at Rei for the 'down pour'. Rei was still laughing when she sat down, only causing Minako to be more uptight. "Fine! You had your laugh, but now it's _my _turn!" she said as she filled the paper cup up half-way.

She began to walk around the circle, just as Rei did. "Duck...duck...duck...duck..."

Ami leaned over to Rei. "Do you think Minako-chan go after you again?"

Rei shrugged. "And if she does?"

"Well, you know Mina-chan. She... likes vengeance."

Rei laughed a little. "Yeah, I suppose."

And suddenly... _SPLASH!_ Water soaked Ami, causing her to gasp in shock.

"Your guard was down, Ami-chan!" Minako said while making the 'V' for victory sign with her hand. To Minako's surprise, Ami shot up from her seat and chased after Minako. Minako yelped and ran as fast as her legs could carry her over to Ami's seat. With a loud _bang,_ Minako had sat down.

Ami sighed frustratingly and grabbed the cup. "Fine... no more shy, genius Ami!"

The game continued for a while, leaving the eight friends only about 45 minutes left of Usagi's birthday party. By the time the game had officially ended, everyone was all wet.

"That was so funny!" Usagi said through fits of laughter. She glanced over at Mamoru, whose hair was flat because of being splashed so many times. She giggled at the thought of being one of those people who _did_ splash him.

**XX**

Time passed, and it was time to leave. There were hugs and good-bye's as the friends left the house with goodie bags (yes, Usagi _still_ gives those out.)

"Make sure Mamoru gives you a big birthday smooch!" Minako winked.

"Yeah, I'll make sure he does that, Mina-chan," Usagi said sarcastically.

"You better," she said as her eyebrows went up and down.

Usagi sighed. "It's sarcasm, Minako-chan."

Minako cocked her eyebrow. "Well, who the heck will know what you mean, when you don't _say_ what you mean?!"

Usagi just rolled her eyes playfully. "Thanks for coming, Minako-chan."

She smiled broadly. "Sure thing!"

Usagi is amazed how Minako lets things go in a matter of seconds. She shook her head and chuckled. "Have a good night, Mina-chan!"

"Sure will, see ya!"

Usagi sighed and slammed the door. "That's all of 'em," she turned around and was quite startled at the fact that Mamoru was indeed behind her. "Oh!" she squeaked.

Mamoru laughed. "Hey buns. Sorry to scare you. My mom hasn't come yet so..." he trailed off.

Usagi nodded. "Yeah, yeah, that's fine! Don't worry about it!"

"So did you like your party?"

She nodded. "Yeah, sure did! It was super fun! But it went by to quickly."

Mamoru nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it did."

"What about you?" Usagi asked.

"Me? Oh, yeah I had a fun time, it was cool."

"That's good."

Silence...

Usagi cleared her throat. "Ne, Mamo-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Do you... like me?"

Mamoru blinked, appalled at the sudden question. "Of course I do. Why do you ask?"

Usagi looked at the ground. "Well it's just... I don't want to feel like I'm putting any pressure on you to like me," a pause. "...am I?"

"No, Usagi, not at all! Do you remember that time I told you that I love you just the way you are? Well, it's true. If it wasn't you, then I wouldn't. You're outgoing, funny, and... cute," Mamoru turned a light shade of pink.

Usagi's face was crimson. "R-Really?"

He nodded. "Of course."

Usagi smiled. "I... love you too, Mamo-chan. More than anything," she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Hahaha! I got you, Usagi!" and it was no other than... Shingo.

Usagi twitched. "Shingo... get... out... of... here..." she said through clenched teeth.

"And what are ya gonna do to me, huh?" Shingo smirked.

"Oh, I'll tell you what I'm going to do. If you don't leave Mamo-chan and I alone, I'm going to grab you, mount you on my bedroom wall, and sip green tea and eat noodles as I stare at your pathetic face on the wall and laugh wickedly at the sight. Now, if you don't mind, I would like us to have some privacy! Got it, ya little twerp?!" Usagi's voice grew higher each passing second.

Shingo stood wide-eyed at Usagi, mouth slightly open. "M-Mom!! Usagi's gone psycho! _Psycho_, I tell ya!" he ran off.

Usagi grinned and looked over at Mamoru, whose jaw was hung open. "I told him I'd get 'em back!" she smiled brightly, not noticing Mamoru's expression.

"Er--y-yeah, right..."

Usagi walked over to the window in the living room. "It's nice out, huh?"

He nodded in agreement and walked over next to Usagi. "There's a full moon out tonight."

Usagi smiled. "It looks... beautiful."

"Hm..."

Usagi looked up at him. "What are ya thinkin' of?"

"Oh, just... this whole year I guess. Everything that happened. It seems like yesterday we had just begun the year and now it's... over."

Usagi nodded solemnly. "I know. It went by too quickly."

"But on the bright side, we're finally going to be seventh graders," Mamoru said.

Usagi's eyes lit up. "Yeah, yeah! And we won't be uncool anymore! It'll be great!"

Mamoru laughed. "Another positive outlook."

Usagi laughed with him. She had wished this moment would never end. Just she and Mamoru together, for this brief moment, staring into his bright blue eyes.

_Honk, honk!_

Usagi jolted and Mamoru cringed. "That's probably my mom, I gotta go. I had fun, thanks for inviting me."

Usagi nodded. "Any time, Mamo-chan. Thanks you for coming. Have a nice night!"

He smiled. "Thanks," he grabbed the doorknob but then paused. "Oh, and one more thing... if your brother bothers you again, just tell him that _I'll _be the one to make sure that he isn't a nuisance to you anymore. It'll be the last time he ever will," he winked, and left out the door.

Usagi just thanked the almighty God that he had already left out the door to not see her face turn crimson. She watched through the window to see him drive off into the distance. She smiled to herself. It had been a wonderful evening with her friends and Mamoru.

"But it went by too quickly..." she muttered gloomily. But then she brightened up. Summer had begun and she was about to make the best of it.

"Well, guess that wraps up everything for today," she grinned. "Happy birthday to me!"


End file.
